


Eva's Wish

by Marlingrl



Category: Devil May Cry
Genre: Angst, F/M, Family Drama, Secrets
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-27
Updated: 2020-09-02
Packaged: 2021-03-05 22:27:37
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 12
Words: 41,854
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25542847
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Marlingrl/pseuds/Marlingrl
Summary: Set post DMC5. Five years ago a magical evening happened leading to secrets being kept. Now a case threatens to expose everything and nothing will be the same. Can the Devil May Cry crew adapt and overcome a demon lord's nefarious plan?
Relationships: Dante/Lady (Devil May Cry)
Comments: 23
Kudos: 62





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> My beta reader AKA The Hubster, has encouraged me to move my works from another site to this one. For those that have read this on another site, this will be mostly the same. I will be doing some edits and potentially adding some scenes in the future, but for the most part it will be the same story as was posted on another site. I'll update every Sunday and Wednesday. This was my first fanfic after a 14 year absence. I hope you enjoy!

**Eva’s Wish**

Chapter 1

The moon shone brightly with the clouds darting to and fro. The soft light danced across the ground below, illuminating patches of ground. A cloud shifted and the moonlight cast its gaze on a frenzied sight. A battle raged below. Horribly deformed creatures struggled against a pair of adversaries.

“Trish, drop!” one of the women yelled. The lithe blond woman sank down as a large boom echoed off the abandoned buildings around them. The missile found its intended target, striking the grotesque demon square in the chest. Vile liquid erupted forth, striking the crouched blond right in the face.

“Whoopsie,” her companion said, mirth dancing in her mismatched eyes. Trish narrowed her eyes at her companion. “Sorry,” Lady called out. “I wasn’t anticipating that.”

Trish snorted. “I’m sure you didn’t,” she said as she stood and pivoted toward the demon fast approaching from her right. The sword in her right hand danced through the air, cutting into demon flesh at each turn and weave.

Her companion gave a chuckle and turned to the Hell Caina demon coming from her left. Her eyes-one red and one blue, flashed with anticipation. She lived for this struggle, the opportunity to send the foot soldiers of hell back to their realm. It drove her, a mere human, to fight with the intensity of a demon. “Don’t think so,” she called out, reaching behind her and drawing a pistol. With marked aim she placed a slug between the vile creature’s eyes.

The battle raged on. Each woman cutting through the demons that rushed at them, until an eerie silence took over the street. “Think that was all of them?” Lady asked, walking toward Trish and dusting some grime off her hip.

Trish examined the gunk clinging to her blonde strands of hair with a disgusted look. “I don’t sense any more demonic auras in this area,” she said. “Ugh, this stuff is disgusting,” she said, wrinkling her nose.

“Yep, you need a shower all right,” said Lady, waving her hand in front of her nose. Trish shot her a dirty look. “Hey, I didn’t know he was full of that,” Lady protested. “Nor could I have predicted the blowback or that you’d get hit. Usually you just jump out of the way.”

Trish nodded. Lady had a point; usually she’d avoid a situation such as that. “Still getting used to this sword,” she said softly. “The weight still has me a bit off balance.”

Lady’s eyes softened. “I understand. Hey, let’s head back to the shop,” she said, starting to reach for her friend’s shoulder and pulling back at the stinking black goo that rested there.

Trish huffed. “Let’s go,” she said turning on her heel and walking away down the dark street. Lady gave a last look over the scene of the battle and followed her friend. As she walked, her thoughts drifted.

It had been almost a year since the battle with Urizen-no Vergil, she reminded herself. Dante was gone. Morrison was running Devil May Cry with her and Trish working as the muscle of the operation. Nearby, patrolling Fortuna and Redgrave City, Nero and Nico kept busy with Devil May Cry Mobile. Demons were still popping up and it kept all of them busy.

However there were changes too. Nero struggled with his family legacy. They all missed Dante terribly, some of us more than others, Lady thought. It was tough to imagine missing the mess that he’d always have around but the shop didn’t feel the same without him. After the battle with Vergil, when Trish lost the Sparda sword, she’d been forced to switch to a new sword they’d found in a box in Dante’s storeroom at the shop. She hadn’t fully mastered the sword and sometimes in battle she encountered difficulties with it. They hadn’t found a suitable replacement for the Sparda for her.

Lady was broken from her thoughts as the familiar red neon glow approached. At least some things remained the same, she thought as they approached the shop. Hopping up the steps, she held the door open for Trish with a smile on her face. “Your shower awaits my lady,” she said, grinning. Trish rolled her eyes and stepped across the threshold.

The shop remained much the way Dante had left it, with a few changes. The worn floorboards glowed with an unfamiliar look-the layers of dust and grime were missing. There were far fewer cobwebs about too. The bathroom was no longer the breeding ground for nightmares either. The pool table was still there but it wasn’t the same without a bet with Dante, one he was sure to lose. The familiar red couches were still just as ratty as the day he left. It was the same, but different. Much like all of them.

As Lady walked in, her eyes flicked to the two feet propped up on the heavy oaken desk. Morrison smiled at his “employees”. More like slaves, Lady grumbled in her thoughts. The jobs he brought paid but they were shit jobs in her opinion. “Ladies,” Morrison said as they came in. “Good to see you back so soon.” He smiled. “I trust that wasn’t too difficult for you?”

Trish snorted. “Not difficult at all, but rather messy,” she said, sighing. “If you’ll excuse me, I have a date with the shower,” she said, walking toward the stairs to the upper bedrooms and the shower she so desperately craved.

“Just be quick about it,” Morrison cautioned, his voice taking on a serious tone. “We’ve got a new job and this one’s urgent.”

Lady’s eyes snapped to Morrison. She wasn’t used to Morrison speaking so seriously. Trish stopped mid-stride up the stairs and looked at Morrison. She and Lady exchanged a look. “What’s the job?” Lady asked, feeling some trepidation in her stomach.

“Last night a demon busted into Our Lady of the Glorious Sun orphanage,” Morrison began. The trepidation in Lady’s stomach turned to cold fear. “A little girl named Lilith was taken,” Morrison said. Lady felt a rising sense of panic.

“Why would a demon take a little girl from an orphanage?” Trish asked.

“Don’t know,” said Morrison. “There’s not much here to go on, but we’ve been hired to get her back and a job is a job,” he said.

Lady spoke up suddenly. “Trish, you’ve got a shower with your name on it,” she said, turning for the door. “I’ve got this,” she said pushing the door open and walking out into the cold night air.

Trish and Morrison exchanged a look. Morrison nodded. “Yeah, something is odd there,” he said slowly.

Trish shook her head. “Let me grab a shower and I’ll head over there and meet up with her,” she said. 

Morrison looked at the door for a moment, with a considering look. “Nah, don’t worry about it,” he said, reaching for the phone. “I think maybe this is a job for the kid to be back up,” he said, as he dialed a familiar number.

Nero’s head bashed against the headrest behind him, waking him from his dozing. Blinking the sleep from his eyes, he stared at the truck headed straight for them. His head shot to the left to see Nico spun around in the driver’s seat, reaching around behind her on the floor. “Damned lighter,” she muttered.

“Nico, truck!” Nero yelled, diving for the steering wheel and jerking it to the right. The truck’s horn blared as they scraped by it, coming within centimeters of contact.

“Don’t get your panties in a wad,” Nico said, wrapping her hand around the missing lighter.

Nero blinked at her. “Don’t get my what?” he blurted out. “You nearly killed us.”

Nico grinned. “But I didn’t,” she said. “Because you and your lightening quick…” She didn’t get to finish as the ring of the telephone between them interrupted. Nero stared at the phone for a moment. “You gonna get that?” Nico asked, lighting the cigarette at her lips.

Nero glared at her. “Devil May Cry,” he ground out while staring at her. His expression changed at hearing the voice on the other line. “Oh hey Morrison, long time no talk to,” he said. Nico’s eyes lit up as she paid close attention to her partner. Nero listened intently. “Yeah…hunh, ok. Yeah, that’s totally not like her…Sure, we’d be happy to help…Yeah, Our Lady of the Glorious Sun…Yep totally familiar with it…Yeah, it’s the other one in Fortuna…No worries, we can totally help. I’ll give you a call once I meet up with her and find out what’s up….Hey thanks for the call…Yeah you too.” Nico watched Nero’s face as he hung up the phone with a look of confusion on his face. He wasn’t saying anything.

Nico snapped her fingers in front of his face. “Hey moody, what did Morrison want? He got a job for us?” she asked hopefully. 

Nero snapped back from his thoughts. “Yeah, we need to get a move on. We’re backing up Lady. Job’s in Fortuna,” he said.

Nico raised an eyebrow, but settled into the driver’s seat and pulled out onto the roadway. Swinging into a wide U-turn in front of an oncoming car, she ignored the blaring horn. “So what’s the job in Fortuna that we’re backing Lady up on?” she asked.

Nero looked out the window for a moment before looking back to his partner. “Apparently a little girl was taken by a demon from an orphanage there last night,” he began. “When Morrison told Trish and Lady about the job, Lady started acting really odd and took off on her own.”

“So Morrison thinks somethin’s off and wants us for back up on a job with someone who it sounds like doesn’t want back up,” Nico said whistling. “Sounds like this one’ll be a doozy.”

Nero nodded. Something about this whole thing felt off. He couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong. “Nico, I’ll be honest, I’ve got a bad feeling about this,” he said.

“Pffft, bad feeling?” Nico said, shaking her head. “Just about anything to do with Dante and his crew has been a bad feeling. He was a hell of a hunter but man oh man did he and his get involved in some screwy shit,” she said, taking a long drag on her cigarette.

Nero felt the familiar tightening in his chest that came whenever Nico spoke about Dante like he was dead. “Yeah, screwy shit,” he said absently, his gaze drifting out the window.

After an hour of harrowing near miss collisions they pulled up in front of the orphanage. “This place gives me the heebie-jeebies,” Nico said shaking.

Nero shot her a look. “I’ve never known you to be afraid of a demon before,” he said.

Nico looked at him in disbelief. “I ain’t afraid of any demon Nero,” she said, shaking her head. Staring at him she said slowly, “This place is full of nuns Nero. Those women are downright frightening. It’s like they got some infernal sense when you’re doin somethin wrong and they just show up outta nowhere. Like they just materialize or somethin” Nico said, reaching for her cigarettes.

“Like her?” Nero said, pointing past Nico’s shoulder. Nico spun her head around and yelped at the sight of the wizened old woman, whose face was framed in black, standing outside the window next to her. The nun frowned and motioned for Nico to roll the window down. Nero laughed as Nico tried to roll the window down while leaning away from it.

“Hello sister,” Nero said, smiling.

The nun continued to frown. “You can’t park here,” she said, a tone of steel in her voice.

“Not a problem, ma’am,” Nero said. “My friend here was just dropping me off. I’m here about the girl who was taken last night. I believe my partner may have already arrived.”

“The woman with the short dark hair?” the nun asked.

Nero nodded. “That’s her,” he said.

“I can show you to her,” the nun said. Nero smiled and started to get out of the RV. The nun looked back at Nico, a frown still on her face. “Park over there,” she instructed, a wrinkled finger pointing off to the side of the building. Nero had barely cleared the RV when the tires chirped and it lunged away. He shook his head. “This way,” the nun ordered and started toward the stairs at the front of the building.

Nero followed the old woman through the corridors of the building, his shoes squeaking on the polished floor. Passing down a hall lined with windows, he heard the sounds of children yelling and playing. He stole a glance to his right and saw the central courtyard filled with small children running about and tossing balls around. It brought back memories. He quickly tamped them down.

“Did any of the other children see what happened?” he asked.

The nun nodded. “They described an impossible creature,” she said slowly. “They said it possessed six arms, had red eyes and gave off a sickeningly sweet smell. I didn’t see it myself, but there was a lingering scent when we entered the dormitory after the commotion. The smell was certainly odd, but such a creature as they described cannot exist. There must be another explanation for what happened to Lilith.”

Nero kept quiet and simply nodded. He’d been around enough people exposed to demons to know that they fell into two camps. There are those that could accept what was in front of them and those who shut down and tried to explain it away. In his experience those who were deeply religious had the most difficulty accepting the existence of demons.

The nun stopped at a door way. “Your partner is in here,” she said, turning and gliding down the hall. Nero entered the doorway into a long room. Windows lined one wall and beds were lined up on either side of the room, running the length of it. A dormitory, Nero thought to himself. He spotted Lady leaning against a window toward the end of the room. Her right hand held a paper of some kind that her thumb ran back and forth over. Her forehead was resting on the window pane.

Nero walked down the aisle way between the beds. Stopping at the foot of the bed Lady was next to, he looked at her for a moment. She didn’t appear to hear him approach. That wasn’t like her. The bad feeling he’d previously had came back.

“Hey Lady,” Nero said softly, trying not to startle her.

Lady lifted her head from the window pane and looked at him. “N-Nero,” she said with confusion. “What are you doing here?” she asked.

“Morrison called me,” Nero explained. “He said you’d taken off on your own and he thought you needed some back up, so he rang me up.” Lady just nodded a faraway look in her eyes. Nero could see now that the object in her hand appeared to be a photo. “Is that a picture of the little girl who was taken?” he asked. Lady nodded. “Can I see it?” he asked, extending his hand.

Lady took a deep breath and handed him the photo before turning back to the window. She bit at her bottom lip. Nero looked at her for a moment with concern before turning his gaze to the picture. After one look, his face scrunched in confusion at the photo. A small girls’ face stared back. She had a heart shaped face with a small chin, bright rosy cheeks. What really stood out though was the girl’s mismatched eyes and pure silver hair with bangs that fell to each side. Nero’s eyes shot to Lady. “Lady,” he started, “is this…is this my sister?” he asked haltingly.

Lady’s eyes widened and she slowly looked at Nero. Mentally the image of Vergil came to her and she shook her head emphatically. “Oh god no,” she said. “No Nero, she’s not your sister. She’s your cousin,” she said softly.

Nero felt his heart skip a beat. He looked back at the photo and his eyes softened. “You and the old man, hunh?” he said, smiling at Lady.

Lady gave him a sad look. “Our great mistake,” she said bitterly. Nero stepped closer and put his hand on her shoulder and gave a gentle squeeze. Lady hung her head. Mentally she snapped back in time to that cold January night five years ago…


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A magical night

**Eva’s Wish**

Chapter 2

Lady’s mind drifted back in memory.

_**Five Years Ago**_

It was a cold, late January night when the trio busted through the doors of Devil May Cry. The hunt had been exhilarating and lucrative. Flush with cash and burning off the adrenaline of the earlier battle, a small party had broken out. Bottles of beer where downed, pizza consumed and games of cards were played.

Trish grinned. “And that makes another win,” she said, laying down her straight flush.

“Jesus,” Dante grumbled. “What is that Lady, like three in a row?” he asked, shaking his head.

“Four actually,” Lady replied, her lips drawing in a frown.

Trish laughed. “Well as much fun as it would be to stay here and keep kicking your asses at cards; if I wait too late the club will only have dregs left. And I’m in the mood for someone fun to keep me warm tonight,” she said standing and stretching. 

Lady chuckled. “Happy hunting,” she called as Trish headed for the door.

“I almost feel bad for the poor sap that ends up warming her bed tonight,” Dante said, dealing cards to Lady and him.

Lady laughed and took a long drag off her beer bottle. “She sure knows how to wind them up. How many bouquets of flowers did we end up with here from her last fling?” she asked, looking over her hand.

“Beats me,” Dante said. “I wasn’t counting, but it sure seemed like a lot.”

Lady shook her head, “This place looked like a sad and pathetic florist shop after she finally got him to look elsewhere.” Dante shot Lady a glare and she laughed.

Throwing down some chips she watched Dante as he examined his cards. She felt warm and like her skin was becoming very sensitive. Her eyes were drawn to Dante’s mouth as he looked over his hand. ‘ _I wonder what those lips would feel like to kiss,’_ she thought. She blinked. Where had that thought come from. She didn’t normally think about Dante like that. He was a friend and a sometime confidant but not someone she thought about romantically. Mentally berating herself, she focused on her cards.

“Call,” Dante said, smiling. “Got you this time,” he said, putting down three of a kind.

Lady laughed. “Dante, if it weren’t for bad luck, you’d have no luck at all,” she said. “Full house,” she said, laying down her cards.

Dante’s eyes widened. “Damnit,” he said.

Lady laughed and dealt another hand. “I’m surprised you didn’t head out to the club with Trish,” she said.

Dante shrugged. “Eh, not in the mood. Besides, maybe if I play my cards right you’ll end up in my bed tonight,” he said, giving her a sly smile.

Lady felt her cheeks blush and more heat sear her skin. She paused before responding. “Yeah, I’m not so sure about that,” she said. ‘ _What I am doing?’_ she thought. ‘ _Normally I’d hit him or something for a comment like that. What kind of lame response did I just give to one of his lecherous comments? Why am I acting like this?’_

Dante noticed Lady’s blush. He was also experiencing a rush of heat. He was trying to remain still as each movement caused his clothes to have almost an erotic feel against his skin. ‘ _Ok she didn’t just hit me for suggesting she end up in my bed,’_ he thought. ‘ _I need to stay calm, play it cool.’_ Unbidden, images of Lady in his bed popped into his head. ‘ _Down boy,’_ he kept saying mentally over and over. 

“Call,” Lady said, trying to concentrate on the game rather than on Dante’s body. 

“Pair of eights,” Dante, said, laying down his cards.

“Pair of queens,” Lady said, laying hers down.

“Shit,” Dante said. Lady smiled and shook her head, gathering the cards for another hand.

After a few more hands, Lady tossed her cards down. “I think that’s all I can take from you tonight,” she laughed. “I should head out of here.” Dante shrugged. Lady stood. “Gonna hit the restroom before I go,” she said, walking to the room behind the desk. After finishing her business, she stared at herself in the mirror. The heat and feel of her clothes on her skin were almost too much. She splashed some cool water on her face. Drying her face on the towel, she stepped out.

Dante sat behind the desk, his feet propped up on the surface. He’d taken his jacket off and his black button down shirt was molded to his frame. Lady’s motorcycle keys were on the table by his right leg. She went to reach for them. Dante’s hand reached out and gently grasped her wrist. 

At his touch, she felt like every nerve in her body was suffused with electricity. Her heart started racing. Turning her head, she looked at Dante. Their eyes locked. Lady felt like she was floating. Dante gently pulled her arm toward himself and Lady bent down, her lips coming close to Dante’s face. Neither one said anything, both looking into the other’s eyes. Suddenly Dante closed the gap between them, capturing her lips in a kiss.

Lady’s eyes widened in shock as her lips responded to the soft feel of his mouth against hers. Her eyes drifted closed as she felt him deepen the kiss. She responded allowing his tongue entrance as a rush of warmth suffused her body. Their tongues battled against each other. Breaking for air, Lady felt as though her legs were going to give out. Dante gave her a smile and removed his legs from the desk. Sitting up straight in the chair, he pulled her forward, their lips recapturing the other.

Lady felt as though she was going to sink down. Swinging a leg over his lap, she sat straddling him. He wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her tight. Her arms twined around his neck and her hands slid into his hair. As the kisses continued, her hands slid down over Dante’s shoulders and chest. Dante’s hands slid up her back, gliding over her and leaving a trail of fire in their wake.

Dante broke the kiss and started kissing down her neck, lightly nipping the skin. Lady squirmed at the sensations rushing through her. Dante groaned as he felt her heat move over his lap. Breaking away from her neck, he sat back and looked her in the eyes. Her cheeks were flushed, lips swollen and her eyes were so bright. He slowly brought his hands up to the front of her shirt, sliding them up over her stomach and cupping her breasts through her shirt.

Lady’s eyes drifted to half-lidded at the contact and her head fell back, pushing her chest further into Dante’s touch. She gave a soft mewl at the sensations running through her body. Dante massaged her breasts for a few more moments before his hands drifted to the center of her shirt. He slowly unbuttoned the buttons as Lady’s eyes met his and her breath hitched. 

She stared at him, memorizing every detail. The hungry look in his eyes, the soft lips, and the light stubble on his cheek. Her hand reached out and softly rubbed his cheek and trailed down the side of his neck. When Dante reached the last button on her shirt, he slowly slid his hands up to her collarbone and pushed the shirt off her shoulders. She had dropped her hands to her sides and it fell off onto the floor.

Reaching behind her he pulled her forward against his chest as he kissed her again. His hands traced over her back and one of his hands came to rest on her bra clasp. Snapping it open, his hands came up and slid the offending garment down her arms. She broke the kiss, sitting back before him half-clothed. His eyes roamed her form, taking in every detail. The soft skin, marked with scars from prior battles. The firm roundness of her breasts, with nipples erect and waiting for him. 

Before he could lean in and capture one of the mounds he was eying, he felt Lady’s hands drop to his stomach and fist in the material of his shirt. She pulled upward, loosening the garment from where it was tucked in behind his belt buckle. He smiled and lifted his arms, allowing her to pull the garment off. Her eyes roamed his chest, before a tentative hand reached out and drew a pattern from the outside of his shoulder down across his collarbone and down along his sternum. He felt like she was leaving a trail of molten lava as she traced the lines of his chest. He pulled her forward, again kissing her. Breaking the kiss, Dante’s lips traveled down her neck as his hands came up and gently cupped her breasts. His thumbs gently ran across her nipples and Lady’s breath hitched. Her own hands slid over the corded muscles of his arms.

Dante kissed down her neck and across Lady’s collar bone. Her hands slid to the back of his head and neck. Moving his hand from her right breast, he caught the hard nipple in his mouth, laving his tongue over it and gently suckling. Lady’s head fell back and she moaned with his ministrations. Her back arched, offering more of herself to him. He switched to the left side, repeating the attentions he’d paid to the right side. Lady rubbed herself against him involuntarily, seeking the release the friction hinted at. Dante’s own body responded to the feel of her against him.

He dropped his right hand and traced down to her waist, then her hip. He massaged and rubbed the top of her left thigh before dipping to the junction of her legs. His fingers ghosted over her shorts as she tried to move and create more friction between them. He smiled around the nipple in his mouth. He could already feel the moist heat at her center. He pressed his fingers harder against her juncture, delighting at the sounds she was making. Pulling his hand away, he circled around to her buttock and slid his other hand down to the other buttock. Holding her tight, he stood up. Releasing her nipple from his mouth, he slowly let her slide down his body, delighting in the feel of her against himself.

Once her feet reached the ground, he knelt down and unzipped her boots keeping his gaze locked on hers. She stepped out of the boots. His hands went to the waistband of the skirt she was wearing and he undid the clasp, letting it pool at her feet. Sliding his hands between her shorts and her waist, he slid her shorts down. As he slid the shorts down, his thumbs hooked in the hemline of her panties and pulled them down simultaneously. Standing, he caught her lips in another blistering kiss as he lifted her. He slid a hand to the back of her head and he slowly lowered her to the desk.

Once Lady was laid on the desk, Dante’s right hand moved to Eva’s picture and placed it face down. Lady reached out for the buckle on Dante’s pants. He broke the kiss. “Ah, ah,” he said, a wolfish grin on his face. “Not yet,” he said huskily as his lips dropped to her left breast. Below him Lady squirmed. His right hand slid to her left hip and he slowly traced inward. Sliding his hand over mound, she arched beneath him and her legs widened, beckoning him.

He brushed a finger along her slit, feeling the wet heat there. Breaking from her nipple, he trailed kisses down her belly. Dropping to his knees, he gently placed her left leg over his right shoulder-kissing the inside of her thigh as he did so. Taking two fingers, he gently spread her labia apart, as his tongue slipped into her depths.

Lady’s back arched as her hands went and fisted in his hair. The sensation was incredible. She felt like she could ignite based on the heat he was creating inside her. Licking, nipping and suckling at her clit, Dante worked on eliciting the groans and mewls that came unbidden from her lips. Slowly he slid a finger into her depths. Feeling her tight walls surround his finger, he started a slow rhythm in and out. Her breathing became shallower. He added a second finger and concentrated on her clit. He could feel her body becoming tighter and tighter, winding up. Removing his mouth, he covered her nub with his thumb and rubbed more vigorously as the rhythm he was creating reached its crescendo.

“Come for me,” he softly said. Her body seemed to hear the order and rushed to obey. Lady’s eyes screwed shut as her breathing became desperate pants and then suddenly the tension unwound. She crashed over the edge, her walls convulsing and fluttering around Dante’s fingers as she cried out. Slowly Dante came to a stop, feeling her walls milk the last inklings of pleasure. Slipping his fingers out, he smiled.

Standing he slipped his boots off. Lady sat up. Her cheeks were flushed, her breathing returning to normal. She looked at him with a shy smile. She reached out and tugged on his belt buckle. He stepped forward and their lips met again.

Lady ignored the taste of herself on his lips as her hands undid his belt buckle. Unbuttoning his pants, she slid them down over his narrow hips. His engorged manhood sprung free from the confines it had been trapped in. Her hand slid up his thigh, wrapping around his girth and slowly stroking it.

Dante broke their kiss and gently caught her wrist. “This will be over with way too fast if you keep that up,” he breathed, leaning in and nipping at her neck. He laid her back against the desk. Returning his attentions to her breast, he brought her trapped wrist alongside her head. She could feel his hard length trapped between them against her thigh.

The heat built in her again and she wanted him. Dante continued to rub and suckle at her breasts, ignoring her lower half. She felt she couldn’t take much more. “I need,” she whispered.

Dante broke his ministrations and looked at her. “What do you need?” he asked, his eyes flashing. Lady’s hand slid between them and gently stroked his length. He smiled, going in for a kiss as his hips shifted. Lady’s hand wrapped around him and pulled him to her entrance. Dante broke the kiss and his hands dropped to her hips. Keeping eye contact he slowly slid inside her. Lady’s back arched and her eyes hooded over with the sensation of him filling her. Dante felt her walls gently grip him with a heat that was intoxicating. It was all he could do to maintain control and set a slow rhythm to start.

Dante slowly moved in and out of her, watching Lady’s face with each thrust. He had never felt this kind of a connection to someone during sex before. He didn’t know what started them on this path, but he didn’t want it to end. But an end would need to come and his body was telling him he needed to reach it.

Adjusting his angle, he gave a slight twist of his hips and was rewarded with Lady’s small groans of pleasure. Looking down, he almost came undone at seeing this beautiful, powerful woman so completely vulnerable before him and the two of them so intimately connected. The rhythm increased. Both of them were so engrossed in their pleasure that they were deaf to the sounds of the desk creaking and oblivious to the fact that anyone could just walk in. Unconsciously Lady’s hand had gone to Eva’s picture, pinning it to the desk, lest it go flying off with the abandon at which they were using to push the other over the edge of pleasure.

Dante felt his release was close at hand. Taking his thumb, he brushed Lady’s clit. “Come for me,” he said. Again, her body seemed to wait for his request and then it unleashed soul-wracking pleasure.

“Dante,” Lady cried out as her walls tightened around him. Thrusting only a few more times, he buried himself to the hilt, his own release spurting forward as he cried her name. Panting, his head came to rest between her breasts. Both tried to catch their breath as he slowly withdrew from her. He stood up as she sat up.

Lady met Dante’s eyes and suddenly she felt awkward. “I need to use the restroom,” she said. Dante stepped back and she hopped off the desk. Gathering her discarded clothes, she stepped into the bathroom. Closing the door behind her, she cleaned herself a bit and quickly dressed. Staring at her reflection in the mirror, she tried to understand what had happened and what led to it. For some reason, it all felt fuzzy, like she couldn’t quite make sense of it. She couldn’t rationalize what led to them having sex. It was like something took over. Now she felt conflicted. On the one hand she was glad, she’d never experienced a connection like that before. On the other hand, she didn’t know what happened next.

Finishing up, she stepped out. Dante was sitting back in the office chair with just his pants on. Lady’s eyes raked over his naked chest and she wanted nothing more than to touch him again. The ferocity of that feeling scared her. “I should get going,” she said, reaching for her keys again. Her left hand brushed his shoulder and at the touch she felt consumed with longing for him again.

Dante must have felt the same intense feeling as he quickly stood up and caught Lady by the waist and crashing her against him. His lips sought out hers like a drowning man seeks air. Slipping his hands under her buttocks he lifted her up. Her legs wrapped around his narrow waist and he carried her upstairs, never breaking their kiss.

Nudging open his bedroom door with his foot, he brought her in the room and they collapsed onto his bed. Hands sought out and discarded clothing until they were again naked. Dante slid inside her welcoming walls feeling like he’d found completion. He had never felt this powerful of a feeling. He didn’t want for anything but to her hear cry his name as she reached her climax.

Lady rolled them over and sat astride Dante, setting a languorous pace as she watched his eyes. All that she wanted was for this to never end-to feel him fill an empty space she didn’t even know she had. All she wanted was to see him tumble over the edge of ecstasy and call her name. Increasing the pace, each bucking and filling the other, they approached the precipice. Lady leaned close to Dante’s ear, undulating her hips and working him hard. “Come for me Dante,” she said, her release blossoming. He threw his head back his hands going to her hips and slamming deeply into her as he let go. She could feel him deep inside throbbing, releasing and filling her. Resting her head on his chest, she tried to catch her breath. “Wow,” was all she could muster.

Dante laughed. Rolling them over and slipping from her, he kissed along her jawline. Her fingers trailed over his chest. Heat and desire bloomed again in her belly. Dante’s eyes became hooded. Somewhere in the back of Lady’s mind, her body was trying to tell her something. She couldn’t concentrate on it. All that mattered was this burning desire for Dante, this need to feel him inside her again. Her eyes closed as he climbed atop her again and the sweet completion came as he slid inside her walls again.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The morning after...

**Eva’s Wish**

Chapter 3

Lady blinked. The sun was shining directly in her eyes. She slowly sat up, feeling slightly confused. As she sat up, she felt sore between her legs. Looking around the room, memories of the night previous washed over her. The chair by the window that they had ended up on, the wall by the dresser that he’d slammed her against. ‘ _No wonder I’m sore,’_ she thought. They had brought the other to ecstasy at least six times before they’d collapsed in the bed from exhaustion. Looking over, she saw the spot where Dante had been was empty. Movement out of the corner of her eye caused her to turn to the door. She could see Dante approaching the doorway, a cup in hand. Self-consciously she pulled the sheets a little tighter around her naked form.

Dante entered the room. His eyes raked over her taking in the details-her body bathed in sunlight, with her still red and swollen lips from their intense kissing the night before. A couple red marks were still obvious on her neck where he’d bit and suckled at her sweet skin. He felt his resolve weaken. He’d woken early and spent time lying next to Lady, daydreaming about what could be. But reality wasn’t kind. His world wasn’t kind. If he were to allow himself the slice of heaven that being with her promised, he would be condemning her to hell on earth. And as much as he wanted her, he wanted her safety more. He braced himself for what he knew he had to do. He would protect her at any cost, even at the cost of his own happiness.

“I brought you some coffee,” he said. “Still take it black?” Lady smiled and nodded. “I’ll put it on the nightstand, the cup is still hot,” Dante said, walking over and setting the cup down. He turned and looked at Lady. She looked up at him with a small smile. Dante ran his hand through his hair. “About last night,” he started.

Lady felt something welling up in her when she thought about what they had shared the night before. Dante watched as her eyes lit up. Internally, he cringed. “Look it was fun but that shouldn’t have happened and it shouldn’t ever happen again. Last night was a mistake,” he said, his tone harsher than he’d intended.

Dante watched as the light in Lady’s eyes extinguished itself. He steeled himself, resisting the urge to do anything to bring it back.

Lady slowly nodded. “Oh yeah, totally,” she said, trying desperately to hold her voice steady. “You know, I should go,” she said. “I had a job scheduled for today and I don’t even know what time it is. Hopefully I’m not late for it.”

Dante nodded and walked to the doorway, feeling the weight of the world on his shoulders. He paused for a moment, as if he was going to say something but instead he walked out and closed the door, giving Lady some privacy. Lady felt tears welling up and furiously wiped them away. She gathered her clothes and quickly dressed. She ignored the coffee Dante had brought her and walked out of the room. Walking downstairs, she kept her eyes on her keys. Dante was sitting back at the desk. Putting a smile on her face, she grabbed the keys and gave Dante a quick look. “It’s been fun. See you around,” she called over her shoulder as she walked out.

Tears threatened again as she got on her bike and she again fought them off. Before she knew it, Lady reached the safety of her apartment. She went inside and immediately got a shower going. She scrubbed at her skin until it was pink, desperately trying to wipe away the memories. Getting out of the shower, she wiped the steam from the mirror and stared at her reflection. She couldn’t understand what happened. She couldn’t figure out why she’d allow herself to sleep with him. Her emotions were roiling and she felt confused at her feelings. Why did this hurt so much? Dante was Dante. He wasn’t her boyfriend, he wasn’t someone she was in love with. He was a friend, an unreliable lout who couldn’t manage his money or his life well. Why was she feeling this upset?

Getting dressed, she sat on her couch and tried to make sense of what happened. She couldn’t. Eventually she couldn’t hold the tears back and she was wracked with gut wrenching sobs. None of this made sense to her. The thought of being around Dante made her even more upset. She came to the conclusion that she’d just have to avoid him and Devil May Cry for a while.

Lady dove into her work like never before. When Trish would call about meeting up at the shop, Lady would beg off. “I’ve got so many jobs right now, not much time for a personal life,” she’d tell Trish. She continued to take every job that came her way that she could do by herself. Even a few she probably would’ve been better off with some help on. She’d managed to avoid the shop and Dante for well over a month. Until one fateful day Trish called, more insistent than ever.

“Lady, I am not taking no on this,” the blonde demon had advised. “This is way too lucrative to pass up, but it is definitely a three-person job. I am going to need you on this,” she’d begged. Lady had relented and agreed to help. Now she found herself in front of the familiar double doors of Devil May Cry.

Taking a deep breath, she stepped through the doors. The shop looked the same as always. Dante sat behind the desk, flipping through a magazine. The smell of the shop-a mix of stale beer, greasy pizza and dust was the same but Lady’s stomach turned at the pungent odor and she felt bile fast rising. Clapping her hand over her mouth, she flew past the desk and slammed the bathroom door behind her. Dropping to her knees, she retched into the toilet. Wave after wave kept hitting her until her stomach was empty.

Sitting back on her heels she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. ‘ _Why on earth,”_ she started to think. An icy fear took hold as she realized something important. She hadn’t had a period since well before the night with Dante. ‘ _No, no, no,’_ she thought. Shaking she stood and flushed the toilet. She washed her hands and rinsed her mouth with handfuls of water.

Stepping out of the bathroom, she met Dante’s concerned look. “You okay?” he asked.

Lady shook her head. “I think I got some bad sushi. Look can you tell Trish that I’m really sorry but I can’t do this. I’ll see you guys later,” Lady said, walking out the door. She was gone before Dante could say anything else. He sat for a moment before groaning. Picking up the phone he dialed a familiar number. The line picked up on the other end. “Hey kid, need a favor,” he said into the receiver.

Lady walked into her apartment clutching the test she’d bought from the pharmacy on the way home. Her hands shook as she opened the package and read the instructions. Going into the bathroom she followed the steps and waited, pacing back and forth. The timer binged and she picked up the plastic tester, her hand shaking. Her eyes widened. ‘ _It’s wrong, these things have a high failure rate,’_ she told herself. 

A quick trip out to procure another two tests, she returned and again followed the instructions. Now staring at three testers that all told her the same thing-whether it was two lines, a plus symbol or simply the word-pregnant. She was pregnant, with Dante’s baby.

Lady’s legs gave out from her as she sank to the bathroom floor. She felt like all the strength she’d amassed in her years of fighting demons was gone. One night and she felt like her world had come undone. A mistake, she reminded herself. That was what he called it, a mistake. Now she not only had all the confusing feelings about Dante to deal with but his child on top of it. A child she’d never expected and one she wasn’t sure what to do with. Unbidden, tears streamed down her face as Lady felt truly powerless for only the second time in her life.

Trish blew in the doors of the shop. “You’re late,” Dante said, not bothering to look up from his magazine.

“Yeah my previous job took a little longer than I expected,” she said, looking around. “Where’s Lady? I would’ve expected her to be here by now.”

Dante didn’t look up. “She was here earlier, got sick and left,” he said.

“What?” Trish asked. “What do you mean got sick and left?”

Dante raised an eyebrow and looked at Trish. “She came in, emptied her stomach, said something about bad sushi and left,” Dante said.

“Damnit,” Trish said. “We needed her for this job. You can’t do this with less than three people! What the hell is going on with her? She’s been avoiding us. What happened between you two?” Trish asked, leaning over the desk.

“Why do you assume something happened between the two of us?” Dante asked.

Trish narrowed her eyes. “Because ever since Lady’s been avoiding us, you’ve been in a right shit mood and now we’re short a body we need for this,” she said.

Dante frowned. “I haven’t been in a shit mood,” he protested. Trish raised an eyebrow. “Look the kid should be here in about ten minutes,” Dante said, returning to looking at his magazine.

“You called Nero?” Trish asked, her mood brightening.

“Yep,” Dante said. “You’ve been going on and on about how this job is a big one, haven’t you?” he said, turning the page.

Trish nodded. “Thanks Dante,” she said.

“Yep,” he said, continuing to look at the magazine.

Trish looked off. “I’ll check on Lady tomorrow,” she said. “I hope she’s okay.”

“She’s a tough girl,” Dante said. “I’m sure it’ll take more than sushi to put her down for long.” The sound of screeching tires could be heard out front. “I believe the kid has arrived,” Dante said. Trish trotted excitedly over to the door. Tossing the magazine down, Dante grabbed Ebony and Ivory. “Time to go kick some demon ass,” he said, following Trish.

Lady had sat up all night. Her heart and her brain playing tug of war at how to handle the situation she found herself in. She finally settled on a rough plan of what she would do. She didn’t think this would be an easy go of it but under the circumstances she felt her plan was the best course of action. She’d quickly dismissed terminating the pregnancy. While she certainly believed the option should exist, she couldn’t bring herself to go through with it. So she’d settled on having the baby.

She’d thought about telling Dante, but she kept picturing his face the morning after. How cold his eyes had been and the harshness of his voice when he told her it had been a mistake. Logically she patterned out that if he felt their night together was a mistake, then he’d see this child as a mistake. It seemed cruel to involve him. The child deserved better. It deserved better than she felt she could offer it. So she planned to leave, have the child and place it up for adoption. She’d return after it was done. With all the plans she’d considered, this one made the most sense to her. Her child would grow up in a loving home, free from the nightmares of the demons that were a part of her reality. The best solution for everyone.

A knock at the door roused her from her thoughts. Rubbing the tears from her cheeks, she padded over to the door and looked through the peep hole. Trish stood outside the door. “Open up Lady. I know you’re in there,” she said, tapping her foot in impatience.

Lady cracked the door. “Trish, I am really not feeling well,” she said.

Concern washed over Trish’s face. “You look terrible,” she said.

Lady snorted. “Yeah, well that will teach me to go for the manager’s sushi special next time.”

Trish’s eyes softened. “Is there anything I can get you,” she asked.

“No, I’m good. I am sorry about yesterday,” Lady said, feeling genuinely bad about letting her friend down.

Trish waved her off. “Don’t worry about it. Dante called the kid and we ended up with the third body that we needed,” she explained.

“Nero helped?” Lady asked, surprised.

Trish nodded. “He did a good job,” she said.

Lady smiled. “I’m glad you had help,” she said. Her stomach started to turn and her hand instinctively came to her mouth.

Trish’s eyes widened. “Go,” she instructed. “Call me if you need anything.”

Lady nodded once and slammed the door. Trish could hear faint running footsteps followed by the sounds of retching. A shiver went down her back. Sometimes it was good to be a demon and not troubled by the same problems as humans.

A few days later, Lady stood outside the doors to Devil May Cry. She took a deep breath and steeled herself. Walking in, she held her head high and kept her tone light. “Hi Dante,” she said. “Is Trish here?”

Dante sat at his desk, flipping through another magazine. His eyes met hers. He could sense a faint demonic aura, just barely there. He suspected Lady had another arcane object on her. “Nope, just me here. Feeling better?” he asked, absently turning pages.

“Yes,” Lady said, willing her stomach to calm down. “I was hoping Trish would be here so I could tell you both at the same time.”

“Tell us what?” Dante asked, setting down the magazine.

Lady felt her stomach turn. She breathed through her mouth, feeling her stomach settle slightly. “I got a call from an old friend with a job. Not my usual gig that I’d go for, but the money is too good to pass up,” she said.

Dante quirked an eyebrow. “Do tell,” he said.

“My friend is a broker, got a call from this rich, eccentric guy who needs a body guard. His usual body guard is going on sabbatical. Apparently he’s got a thing for female body guards, which is why my friend thought of me. The job is several months long so I’ll be gone for a while,” she said.

Dante whistled. “Man, sounds like a sweet gig. Who’s the loaded bastard?” Dante asked.

Lady smiled. “Sorry no can disclose-NDA signed and all,” she said.

Dante pouted. “Well that’s no fun,” he said. “Several months, hunh? Jeez, the place won’t be the same without you dumping shit jobs on me all the time.”

Lady shook her head. “I’ll be lucky to come back and find this place still standing,” she said. She felt her stomach turning again. She needed to wrap this up and quick. “Well, I’d love to stay and chat, but I’ve got a private jet waiting. See you Dante,” she said, turning on her heel.

“Lady,” Dante called, his tone changing. She stopped and looked over her shoulder. “Be careful out there,” he said.

She gave him a nod. “You be careful out there too, Dante,” she said, concern lacing her words. She walked out the door, tears threatening.

Dante watched her go, feeling like a part of himself was going out the door with her. Part of him wanted to destroy something and part of him wanted to get blistering drunk.

Lady got on her bike and roared it to life. Taking a long look at the shop, she took off down the street and headed out of the city. She hadn’t decided on her destination.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lady finds a place to settle for a bit and new friends come to be made

**Eva’s Wish**

Chapter 4

Lady rode her bike north. She spent the night in an inn in Fortuna and continued north the next morning. She pulled off the main highway at a sign indicating the town of Bell’s Harbor. Riding down the main street she was struck by how isolated the town was. She was hours north of Fortuna and there was no sign or indication of any demon activity. The main street in the town was only about 6 blocks long and terminated in a long pier. The buildings were all painted bright colors.

Parking her bike, she walked along the main street. Something about the town felt right to her. A sign caught her eye-help wanted. It was hung on the door of the local bar which the sign proclaimed as Blue’s Place. Stepping inside she walked up to the bar. A barrel-chested man with a long white, wispy beard stepped up from behind the bar. “Well hello,” he greeted, eyeing her. “What can I get you?”

Lady put a smile on her face, choosing to ignore his ogling. “I saw the sign out front and wanted to inquire about the job,” she said.

The man nodded. “Well you’re at least talking to the right person. I’m Blue and this here’s my place. Ever worked in a bar before?” he asked.

Lady considered lying for a moment but her gut was telling her that honesty might be her best bet. She decided to trust her gut. “Honestly, no. Spent a lot of time in bars but haven’t worked in one,” she admitted.

Blue seemed to think about it for a moment. “Well,” he said. “You’re in luck that I’ve had that sign up for a week with no takers. The money in this town is out on the boats. Very few folks here want a land job. If you want the job, I can train you and it’s yours,” he said.

Lady smiled. “I’ll take it,” she said.

“What’s your name sweetie,” Blue asked.

Lady quickly realized she’d want to erase any connection to her past while she was here. “Francesca,” she said. “But most folks just call me Frannie.”

Blue stuck out a hand. “Welcome Frannie,” he said. Lady gave him a firm shake. “We’ll have you start tomorrow. Come by at 10 a.m.,” Blue said, starting to turn away. 

“Sounds good,” Lady said. “Hey Blue, do you know anywhere in town that rents rooms or something?”

Blue turned back. Pointing off to his right, he motioned. “Last building on the end of the street with a blue door-Evelyn’s place. She rents studio apartments. I think she might have one open right now since we’re off season for the crab right now.”

Lady smiled. “Thanks Blue. I’ll see you tomorrow at 10 a.m.,” she said, making her way to the exit. Blue watched her go, thinking that a pretty girl couldn’t hurt business.

Lady made her way down the street to Evelyn’s. The older woman showed her a furnished studio apartment that had a window view of the pier with a sliver of the ocean. They haggled briefly over a price and Lady paid her deposit. After receiving her keys, she sat in the cushioned chair by the window, exhausted. She realized she hadn’t discussed with Blue what her pay would be. She groaned inwardly. She hoped it would be enough for her to live on. She absently rubbed her stomach, remembering why she was here to start with.

After resting for a bit she headed out and walked down the main street. Locating her quarry, she stopped by the local market. Stocking up on some food and supplies she headed back to her apartment, choosing to walk on the opposite side of the street. Scanning the businesses, she saw a sign on a door for Dr. Frank Baum. She made a note of the location, figuring she should stop in and make an appointment. Hopefully he’d be able to help her out. She knew doctors usually would oversee a woman’s pregnancy and hopefully this doctor could help.

The next morning she reported to the bar at 10 a.m. Blue took her through the basics and was impressed at the speed with which “Frannie” was picking up what he was teaching her. He was also enjoying the looks she was getting from the daytime clientele. She could be good for business. For her part Lady was relieved to find that her pay would be enough for her to live on. Blue cut her early that day, saying that he had enough coverage. 

Leaving the bar, Lady decided this was as good a time as any to stop and make an appointment with the doctor. Pushing open the door of his office, she was greeted by an older woman behind the desk. “Welcome, how can I help you?” she greeted with a warm smile.

“I wanted to make an appointment with the doctor,” Lady said.

“Frank!” the woman yelled. Lady jumped slightly. An older man popped his head out of an office door down the short hall behind the desk.

“Yes dear,” he said.

“We’ve got a new patient,” the older woman said. 

The older gentleman nodded and popped back in his office. He emerged a moment later, straightening his glasses. He smiled at Lady. “Dr. Frank Baum,” he introduced himself, extending his hand.

“Francesca,” Lady said, shaking his hand.

“Come on back and we can talk,” he said, turning down the hall. 

Lady felt a moment of panic. She thought she’d just make an appointment, not actually see a doctor today. She followed him down the hall anyway. He led her to a small exam room. He motioned for her to take a seat on the exam table and he grabbed a folder with some papers in it and sat on the stool in front of the small desk.

“Visually you look in good health, how can I help?” he asked.

Lady felt very nervous. Her palms started to sweat and her tongue felt thick.

As if he could sense her fear, Dr. Baum gave her a reassuring smile. “If I may say my dear, I’ve been in this town treating its residents for over 20 years now. I have seen it all and heard it all. You’ve heard of doctor patient confidentiality right?” he asked. Lady nodded. “Good. Whatever you tell me stays here. And that goes for my staff too. We may be a small town, but I can’t help folks if they don’t feel they can talk to me and trust me.”

Lady took a deep breath. “I’m pregnant,” she said.

Dr. Baum gave her a warm smile. “Well you’re in luck, I’ve helped bring a few residents in this town into the world. Do you know how far along you are?” he asked.

“A little over two months, I think,” Lady said, fidgeting slightly.

Dr. Baum patted her knee. “Scared shitless, am I right?” he asked.

Lady snorted. “You know with my past I’ve seen and fought things that people only see in their nightmares. But this, this is the scariest thing I’ve ever faced,” she said, tearing pricking her eyes.

Dr. Baum gave her an understanding smile. “I don’t want to make you feel uncomfortable, but I want to know a little bit to help care for you. Was this an unexpected pregnancy?” he asked. Lady nodded. “I’ve noticed no wedding ring on your finger, are you on your own?” he asked. Lady nodded, feeling very uncomfortable. Dr. Baum continued to look at her with an understanding look, free of judgment. “You’ll get through this my dear. You are not the first young lady to walk through my door with this set of circumstances and I doubt you will be the last. We’ll see you through this. Let’s do a quick exam and make sure you’re in good shape,” he said, handing her a gown to change into. He stepped out of the room. Lady quickly changed and twenty minutes later Dr. Baum had confirmed the tests Lady had taken were correct and everything was in order.

Dr. Baum made some notes in her folder. “Are you planning to raise your child or do you plan to put it up for adoption?” he asked.

“I’m planning to put it up for adoption,” Lady said. “I’m just not sure how to go about doing that,” she confessed.

Dr. Baum nodded. “It’s not the kind of thing that gets talked about much. I’ve had a few patients work with Our Lady of the Glorious Sun orphanage in Fortuna,” he said.

“Fortuna?” Lady asked, remembering Dante’s utter destruction of the town last year during his efforts to destroy the Savior.

“Yes, terrible tragedy down there. The orphanage however is on the outskirts of the town. Missed the impact of those religious nuts blowing everything up. Lovely facility and the nuns there are great at placing children. Shirley and I adopted from them when we couldn’t conceive so I’ll admit to being biased,” he said.

“It sounds like a lovely place. I’ll stop by and talk to them,” Lady said.

Lady left the clinic after scheduling her follow-up appointments and returned to her apartment. Sitting down she looked out the window and her mind drifted. Everything was different and she felt overwhelmed. It was going to be a long time before her life would return to normal. Her thoughts drifted back to Devil May Cry and the night that changed everything. Even now, she couldn’t understand how she ended up here. Tears rolled down her cheeks.

Lady fell into a routine. Life in the harbor town was simple. No demons troubled the town. Life in the town was predicated on the sea and the boats dictated the flow. When the seasons of fish ended the town would be full of sailors flush with cash and Blue’s bar would be packed. The first bar fight that broke out, Lady earned Blue’s respect, putting a quick end to the violence with only a pint glass sacrificed. Lady had been in the town for two months and found folks warming up to her. It was a warm June morning when she woke to her alarm. Standing and stretching, her hand fell to her stomach. Her normally flat stomach was starting to round out. It was subtle but it would only get worse. She knew she’d have to tell Blue that she was pregnant.

She showered and got dressed. Walking down the street to the bar, she pushed open the worn door and stepped inside. Blue stood behind the bar looking through some receipts. Lady glanced around and confirmed they were alone. “Hey Blue,” she said.

He looked up and gave her a smile. “Hey Frannie,”he said.

Lady bit her bottom lip. “Can we talk for a sec?” she asked.

Blue looked up at her, his brow furrowing. “Yeah,” he said cautiously. “You’re not quitting on me are you?” he asked.

Lady shook her head. “No,” she said. “I’m hoping you don’t fire me though,” she said.

“Fire you?” Blue said. “Why would I do that?” he asked.

Lady took a deep breath. “I’m pregnant,” she said. “Figured I should let you know now because I won’t be able to hide it much longer.”

Blue crossed his arms. “You’ve been pregnant the whole time you’ve been workin for me?” he asked. Lady nodded. “Shit,” he said. “You’ve been lifting those cases of alcohol. You ain’t supposed to do that. And you’ve broken up how many fights now?”

Lady rolled her eyes. “I’m pregnant, not helpless,” she said. “You don’t need to treat me any differently.”

“You seeing Dr. Frank?” he asked. She nodded. “I’d best be talking to him about what he’s ok with me letting you do and what he isn’t,” Blue said, giving her a stern look. “What Dr. Frank says goes. I ain’t firing you. You’ve been a good worker and I still need the help. So we’ll agree that Dr. Frank sets the restrictions, right?”

Lady smiled. “Sure Blue,” she said.

Blue was grumpy for a bit and gradually got used to Lady’s state of being. One day in late July she came in to find a stool set up behind the bar. Blue said he was getting tired of being on his feet all the time but Lady found him motioning for her to take a seat several times when things calmed down in the bar. Part of her wanted to be mad but her sore back wouldn’t let her.

Two week s later she was helping to close up with Josh, Blue’s son. Blue was sitting at a corner table, throwing back shots of whiskey. Lady looked at Blue with concern. She’d never seen him drink in the months she’d spent here. “Josh, is he okay?” she asked, watching Blue pour another drink.

Josh looked back at his father with a sad look. “Mom would’ve been 61 today. He does this every year,” he explained.

“I’m so sorry,” Lady said.

Josh gave her a smile. “It’s ok. She’s been gone for five years now. Dad just misses her something fierce. I swear if I can find someone who gives me half of what they had, I’ll be a lucky man,” he said. 

Lady smiled. “Sounds like she was a hell of a woman,” she said.

“The best,” Blue yelled out. “Frannie, c’mon over here and sit down. Dr. Frank’ll have my hide if I let you stand much longer.” Josh nodded and Lady came over to Blue’s table. Settling down she tried to will the pain in her ankles to lessen.

“You haven’t got much longer do you?” Blue asked her.

Lady snorted, “Almost 2 months,” she said. “I’m not sure how women do this willingingly.” Blue raised an eyebrow. “I mean like having another one,” she said. She motioned to her stomach. “This wasn’t the result of an unwilling night, just an unintended consequence.”

Blue gave her a look. “You don’t talk much about it,” he pointed out. 

Lady shook her head. “Not much to tell. Mistakes were made and that’s that,” she said.

“He know about that unintended consequence?” Blue asked, pointing to her stomach.

Lady fidgeted. “It doesn’t matter Blue, trust me. I know Dan-,” she stopped herself. Taking a breath, “I know him. This wouldn’t be seen as a good thing.”

“How long you known him for?” Blue asked.

“Over 20 years,” Lady said.

Blue whistled. “That’s a long time. You two been romantically involved all that time?” he asked.

Lady shook her head no. “Just the one mistake,” she said.

“I may not know him, but I can speak as a man. I’d be willing to bet he was scared shitless. Think about it. The two of you have one dynamic for 20 years and then it changes. He’s worried Frannie,” Blue said.

“You don’t know him Blue. Trust me, it’s better this way,” she said.

“I remember when Elsie told me she was carrying Josh over there. I’d never been so terrified in my life. Half of me wanted to cut and run, other half couldn’t wait to be a father. I stuck it out and I’m damned glad I did. Couldn’t much imagine not knowing my own kid,” Blue said.

Lady felt a flash of anger. Blue reached over and patted her hand. “I’m not judging you,” he said. “My advice would be to tell him, but you have to make your own choices.”

Lady calmed down as Josh approached them. “Pops, let’s get you upstairs to bed. I think we should let Frannie get on home. She needs her rest,” he said. Lady gave Josh a smile.

“Yes, she does need her rest!” Blue exclaimed. “On home with you,” he said. Josh extended a hand and helped Lady stand.

“Goodnight,” Lady said, walking out. She got back to her apartment. Blue’s words were rolling around in her head. Maybe she should tell Dante. Before she’d fully thought about it, she’d grabbed her phone and dialed the familiar number.

“Devil May Cry,” Dante answered. Lady froze. “Hello?” he asked. She hung up quickly. Tears rolled down her cheeks. She couldn’t bring herself to tell him. It’s better this way she kept telling herself.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lady's life receives a permanent change

**Eva’s Wish**

Chapter 5

Some days it was easy for Lady to be lulled into daydreaming about staying in Bell’s Harbor and raising her child. About the time this would happen, Trish would call and Lady would have to come up with an excuse on why she couldn’t meet up or talk for long. She knew time was against her. She needed to get back to her old life.

It was a Tuesday in late September that started out like every other day. Lady walked to the bar to open up. Blue had restocked before closing so she wouldn’t be lifting any heavy cases. She opened the bar at 11 on the dot. The usual lunch crowd was in and she had poured a few pints. Resting on the stool she tried to look down at her feet. It was difficult to see them around the swell of her stomach. She wondered if she’d ever have ankles again. She was broken from her reverie by movement. Looking up, she smiled. “Another pint, Dave?” she asked. Dave, one of her regulars, nodded. Filling the glass, she made small talk. “Will Helen be in tomorrow night?” Lady asked.

Dave grinned at her. “You know it,” he said. “Friday night date night.”

Lady smiled, handing Dave the refilled glass. “She’s a lucky lady. Blue was telling me you guys have been doing this for 15 years now. That’s some dedication and love.”

Dave smiled and patted her hand. “It’ll happen for you too Frannie,” he said, patting her hand. “Just you wait and see.” Lady forced the smile to stay put as he returned to his table. Her thoughts were far from hopeful.

Finishing up her shift in the early evening, she walked back to her apartment. Dropping into her cushioned chair by the window, she felt her entire body aching. Suddenly she was hit with another round of false labor. Breathing through the tightening of her abdomen, she waited for it to pass-thinking about how it didn’t feel so false to her.

Realizing that if she didn’t get up and get something to eat, she’d probably just fall asleep in the chair, she stood up. As she stood, she felt a rush of wetness down her leg. Looking down she realized her water had broken. False labor wasn’t going to be false for long.

She left her apartment and walked the short distance to Dr. Baum’s office. With the start of salmon season, he’d extended his hours. Walking in she saw Dr. Baum’s young assistant behind the desk. She was on the phone and it was obviously a personal call. Lady waved to get her attention and the woman held up her pointer finger in Lady’s face, never meeting her eyes. Lady growled as a stronger contraction started to grip her. Reaching across the desk, she took a handful of the woman’s lapel and pulled her forward. “Tell Dr. Baum I’m in labor,” Lady said, trying to breathe through the pain.

The receptionist’s eyes widened and she told the person on the phone to hold. Covering the receiver she yelled, “Dr. Baum, labor!”

Lady rolled her eyes. Dr. Baum hurried out from one of the back rooms. “Frannie, time for that little one to arrive?” he asked.

Lady nodded. “My water broke about 15 minutes ago. I didn’t wait like you told me,” she said.

Dr. Baum smiled. “Good. You know I’d prefer you were here since you’re on your own. Come with me and let’s get you set up in a room in the back,” he said, turning down the short hall. Lady followed him to a cozy room in the back that had soft pink walls and a bed. “Right, you get settled in and I’ll be back in a few minutes. I’m going to let Shirley know I’ll be here late tonight. Don’t be surprised if she comes by. I know she likes you,” he said. “Now I don’t want you to be afraid. It’s just like we talked about. Your body knows what to do. I’m just here to help if there’s a hiccup.” Lady nodded and sat down on the bed as he left, groaning through another contraction.

For almost 24 hours straight her body labored, giving her waves of pain she thought would kill her. Every time she thought she’d taken all the pain she could stand, there was a new high to the pain. She was tired and sweating, struggling to make it through these last stages. She felt like her body was tearing itself in two and she wasn’t sure she could stand much more. Shirley had come for encouragement and Dr. Baum’s young assistant was back helping with getting him supplies.

“Frannie, this is it. The baby is crowning,” Dr. Baum said. “I need a big push from you.”

Shirley rubbed Lady’s back. “C’mon sweetie, you can do this,” she instructed. Lady took a deep breath and pushed.

“Frannie, hold,” Dr. Baum ordered. “You’ve got to hold off pushing for a moment. The cord is around the baby’s neck. I’m going to move it. Just hang on for a moment.”

Lady cried, the tears streaming down her cheeks. The pain was so much. She just wanted to be through this. But she listened to Dr. Baum and tried to breathe through the pain. “Ok got it, one final push,” Dr. Baum said. “You can do this.”

Lady gave a harsh scream as the baby slipped from her body. “It’s a girl,” Dr. Baum called out. Lady collapsed back on the pillows behind her. Shirley rubbed her shoulder. Dr. Baum handed the baby to his assistant, asking her to clean up the baby. Moving over to a basin in the corner of the room, she proceeded to clean up the baby. “Frannie, you’ve got some pretty bad tearing. I’m going to need to stitch you up. Hold tight ok?” Dr. Baum said.

Lady weakly nodded. Shirley advised she was going to check on something and left the room. The assistant came over with the baby and started to hand her to Lady. Lady recoiled. “No,” she said, panic in her eyes.

Dr. Baum peered and saw what was happening. “Diana, the little one is going to Our Lady of the Glorious Sun. Go give Sister Elizabeth a call. They’re expecting this little one,” he said. Diana nodded and turned to leave.

“Wait,” Lady called, her voice cracking. “Can I see her?” Diana turned back, nodding. She came over to Lady’s side and angled the baby so Lady could see her. The baby’s skin was red and wrinkled. She had full cheeks. Lady couldn’t tell what color her eyes were. Diana had put a little pink cap on the baby’s head. “Does she have any hair?” Lady asked.

Diana nodded and removed the cap. “Her hair is so blond!” she exclaimed. “It almost looks silver in this light.” Lady nodded. ‘ _Dante’s hair,’_ she thought. ‘ _She got Dante’s hair.’_

Dr. Baum came up and looked the baby over. “Well I’ll be. You know she’s the second baby I’ve delivered with hair that shade. Very rare. First time I ever saw that was one of the first births I attended in this town. Little boy if I recall correctly,” he said.

Lady nodded, only half hearing him. “Will you do me a favor?” she asked. Dr. Baum and Diana looked at her. “Please tell the nuns, her name. Her name is Lilith Eva-Ann. I know when she’s adopted they might change it, but until she’s adopted, please tell them.”

Dr. Baum put a gentle hand on her shoulder. “We will tell them my dear. You get some rest. I’ll be back to check on you in a bit.” Lady nodded and Dr. Baum held the door and Lady watched her daughter be taken from the room, trying to memorize every detail of her small face.

As the door closed, the tears started to fall until she was wracked with huge sobs as all the emotions washed over her. She cursed herself for not being stronger, for not being able to raise her daughter. But the logical part of her brain whispered back. How could she raise her? All she knew was hunting demons. She’d vowed to rid the world of demons. She couldn’t do that and care for a baby. She couldn’t rely on Dante. She couldn’t even tell him they had a child. She ended up crying herself to sleep, exhausted and mentally spent.

Dr. Baum had her stay in the clinic for the first week citing concern for her stitches ripping. He stated if she was on her own she’d do too much and this way they could give her some time to heal. Lady suspected his motives were something different. Her hormones were raging out of control-her body aching to care for a child that wasn’t there. The pain with just simple things felt overwhelming. She felt like this would break her. Dr. Baum and his wife Shirley nursed her through the worst of it. She’d never met two people who were so non-judgmental. They accepted her decision and didn’t make her feel bad for it. 

Shirley confessed one night to Lady that the women who sacrificed raising their children to give another a chance were angels in her opinion. As she had been unable to have a baby of her own, it was someone like Lady who’d given her a gift of such magnitude. Talking with Shirley helped. Lady was able to confess the feelings she had and the guilt for giving her daughter up. Shirley helped her to process it. The pain didn’t go away but it eased with talking it out.

After a week, Dr. Baum allowed her to return to her apartment. He wouldn’t let her back to work for another week. Feeling stir crazy, Lady snuck out and made her way along the beach. There was a cove a little ways down. She had grabbed her Desert Eagle and brought it with her. Finding some discarded bottles from a beach party, she set them up. Firing off some rounds and destroying the bottles made her feel slightly better. Like she was reacquainting herself with the person she used to be. _‘But part of you will always be different going forward,_ ’ she thought. The week passed by slowly and she was finally able to return to work.

Blue cocked an eyebrow when Lady walked into the bar. “You sure you’re ready to come back?” he asked. “Doesn’t the little one need you?”

Lady felt her heart clench. She hadn’t really discussed her plans with anyone but Dr. Baum. “The little one has been put up for adoption Blue,” she said. “She’s not with me.” Lady tried to take deep breaths to hold her composure.

Blue gave her a soft look. “Oh Frannie, you sure you’re feeling up to being here?”

Lady nodded. “I need to concentrate on something else right now. Unless you want an overly emotional sobbing mess on your hands,” she said.

Blue shook his head. “Get to it, Frannie,” he said. Lady gave him a weak smile and got started taking stock. The time passed with days flowing into weeks. Dr. Baum cleared her to return to heavier physical activity. She relished lifting crates of alcohol and building her muscles back up. She would often head down to the cove on the beach and resume target practice while practicing flips. She was becoming used to the new normal of her body. The pregnancy weight slowly came off but not fully. Her body was different. She found herself looking in the mirror one day. To the causal eye she’d probably look the same but she noticed the subtle changes she’d always carry with her. Her hips were slightly wider, her breasts slightly fuller. Her shape was slightly more of an hourglass than before. She had new scars to add to her collection. Both hips had stretch marks on the outside. Her skin would always carry the reminder of the child she’d said goodbye to.

Three months after delivering the baby, Lady knew it was time to go back to her old life. She’d given her notice to Blue, said her goodbyes and left Bell’s Harbor in her rearview mirror. She returned to the city. Picking up a cheap motel for the night, she settled her few belongings and headed out. Parking on a familiar street, she stared at the neon sign. The building was standing and in much the same shape as when she’d left almost a year ago. She’d pictured this moment over and over in the months prior but now that it was here, she was petrified. She knew she couldn’t stay away forever. She gave herself a mental pep talk and swung her leg off the bike.

Approaching the building she lightly ran up the steps, mentally steeling herself. Pushing open the door, she stepped in and stopped at the threshold. Dropping her sunglasses slightly she surveyed the room-same jukebox, same ratty couch, same pool table. Heck, Dante was sitting in the same spot she’d left him in. Except he seemed a little different-a little scruffier, maybe a touch of something else she couldn’t quite put a finger on.

When Dante heard the front door open, he inwardly groaned. Dropping the corner of the magazine he was holding, he glanced over and felt everything come to a stop. She was standing there. She was the same but different too. His eyes took in every detail-her hair was longer but still cut in that cute spikey fashion that he loved on her. Her shape was what really struck him. She’d always been beautiful-lithe and lean but it was now as if a woman stood where a girl once had been. Dante felt a surge of excitement and true joy.

“Well would you look at what the cat dragged in?” he whistled. “Looks like they fed you on the job.” He gave his best roguish smile.

Lady laughed. Dante was still Dante. She sidled over and sat on the edge of the desk. “Fed me and paid me. Quite the concept, you should try it out sometime,” she said, grinning.

“I could feed you if you’d like,” Dante said suggestively.

Lady shook her head. “Let me guess, pizza?” she asked.

Dante grinned. “Pizza does sound good. I can spring for a celebratory pie,” he said.

Lady widened her eyes. “Why Dante, you would buy me a pizza? Such a gentleman,” she said, laughing lightly.

“Hey, only the best for my best friend,” he responded, hitting the desk with his boot, causing the phone receiver to jump. He caught it mid-air and started dialing the familiar number. Lady kept a light smile on her face, standing and wandering over to the pool table. Internally she felt her emotions roiling. Dante had called her his best friend. What kind of best friend was she? She’d kept something huge from him. Somewhere out there, he had a daughter.

She pushed the thoughts away as she heard him hang up the phone. He’d watched her walk away and could sense something was off. Even now when she turned back to look at him, he could see a touch of sadness in her eyes. It echoed what he’d been feeling without her there. He was determined that he’d drive that sadness away. He wanted her to be as happy as he was now that she was back. “How about I show you just how much better I’ve gotten at pool?” he suggested.

Lady laughed. “Somehow I doubt you’ve gotten that much better, but you’re on,” she said. They’d played pool, eaten pizza and talked most of the night. Lady kept most details about her “job” out of the conversation, citing the non-disclosure agreement she signed so she didn’t have to talk much about her time away.

After that night, they fell into an easy routine of hunts, parties and banter for a few years. Until one fateful night when Morrison entered Devil May Cry with a mysterious client-V and news of a new demon threat in Urizen. Now a year later, Dante was gone but so was the child Lady had never expected.

** _Present day**_

Lady snapped out of her thoughts and memories and saw Nero patiently waiting. Sighing, she gave him a brief explanation of how she and Dante had slept together and when she found out she was pregnant she’d left and given the child up for adoption. Nero quietly listened. When Lady was done with her explanation, Nero shook his head.

“She was right here the whole time. Another piece of this family so damned close but so far away,” he said. Lady was taken aback by his words. Nero looked around the room and back to her. His look became serious. “I know how to get her back,” he started. “But Lady, I have a price for my help.”

Lady furrowed her brows. “What is your price?” she asked.

“When we find Lilith, when we bring her back-she doesn’t come back here,” he explained. “I don’t care if it’s you or the old man who takes her. Heck if neither of you will do it, then she comes home with me and Kyrie. But she doesn’t come back here,” he said, emotion punching through his words.

Lady found herself taken aback by the vehemence in his voice. “Nero, I…,” she started.

Nero stepped away and looked at his hand. “Lady, I don’t want Lilith to grow up wondering what’s wrong with her-thinking that she’s a freak who doesn’t belong. Damnit Lady, she’s family. As fucked up as this family is, it’s still a family. She’s got Dante’s blood, Sparda’s blood in her. I don’t know how that might manifest for her, but I know it will. I don’t want her to grow up like I did,” he finished.

Lady was speechless. She’d never considered that Lilith would travel a similar path to Nero. The boy had grown up lonely and shunned. Only Credo and Kyrie’s family had taken him in, but not until he was older. She’d always told herself that her daughter would be adopted by a loving family. ‘ _But that didn’t happen did it?’_ the voice in her head said. _‘She’s still here in this orphanage. No loving adoptive mommy to tuck her in at night. Just a shared room and no one to protect her from the demons.’_

Lady felt like she was going to throw up, the guilt overwhelming her. Nero reached out and squeezed her arm. She looked up at him with wide eyes. He could see the guilt ready to overtake her. “Lady,” he said softly, “will you bring her home?” She nodded, tears starting to fall. He hugged her awkwardly as she shook with sobs. He let her cry while he held her. Once she’d wrung the last of the sobs out, she stepped back furiously wiping her eyes, trying to get some semblance of control.

“Sorry about that,” she said. “I…”

Nero cut her off. “No apologies needed. You’re family now. I mean you always kinda were, but you’re bona fide family now. We need to stick together.”

Lady smiled. She liked the idea of Nero being family. “So what’s your plan?” she asked.

Nero rubbed the back of his neck. “Well, it’s not going to be easy, but hear me out. So I don’t know if you asked around about the demon who took Lilith, but when Morrison called with the details, I made some calls while Nico brought us over here. No one has ever heard of a demon like this one before.”

Lady nodded. “Yeah, none of my contacts had heard anything either. Complete unknown. So where do we begin?” she asked.

Nero bit his lip. “So no one up here knows about this demon, so we need someone who knows the underworld really well. Only one person comes to mind,” Nero said. “My fa…Vergil,” he finished.

Lady blinked. As much as she hated the thought of asking Vergil for anything, Nero’s logic made sense. She frowned. “Okay, I can see where you’re coming from and it makes sense but how do we get to him? I mean he did use Yamato to seal the breach between the two realms that the Qliphoth formed,” she said.

Nero smiled. “Portal,” he said.

Lady quirked an eyebrow. “Got one in your back pocket? Cause I don’t and I don’t know where one is,” she said.

Nero grinned. “I know where one is,” he said. “C’mon.” He turned and started to walk down the aisle way between the beds. Lady rushed after him. “After the order fell I took a bunch of records. As you know, Agnus had done a bunch of research into use of demons and demonic power. Well where do you think he got the demons he experimented with?” Nero asked. Lady shrugged. “He figured out how to create portals between here and the underworld. Now when Dante showed up he busted up all the obvious portals that the Order knew about and accepted. Turns out Agnus had a secret portal for something he was working on. There were enough clues in his notes that I patterned out where it was located,” Nero said.

Lady felt a glimmer of hope. “Do you think the portal is still there?” she asked, as Nero waved to get Nico’s attention.

“I’m betting on it,” Nero said, as Nico pulled up. Opening the back door of the RV for Lady, Nero smiled. “What do you say Lady, you up for a possible suicide trip to hell?”

Lady laughed. “Desperate times,” she said, getting in the RV.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hell is lovely this time of year...

**Eva’s Wish**

Chapter 6

Nico barreled down the gravel road, her passengers bouncing and jostling around. “Watch it Nico,” Nero yelled, while steadying Kyrie. She’d insisted on coming to keep Nico company while Nero and Lady made the dangerous journey.

“I can’t believe ya all are crazy enough to be doin this,” she drawled while fishing a cigarette out of the pack while steering. “Who in their right mind willingly goes to hell?”

“Remember little girl, kidnapped by a demon?” Nero said, exchanging a look with Lady. Lady had begged Nero to keep Lilith’s parentage a secret. They figured if they found Vergil, they would likely find Dante too and Lady had argued that it should be her who told Dante about Lilith. Nero had agreed, so only Nero and Lady knew Lilith’s true identity.

“I mean it’s heroic and all,” Nico said, trying to light the cigarette in her mouth, “but still bat shit crazy.”

Lady nodded. This plan was crazy, but they were desperate and it seemed like this was their best shot. Nero stepped forward and looked out the window. “This is it,” he said. “I’m sure of it. Nico, take that fork to the left down toward the beach,” he directed. Nico followed his directions until the road petered out in a meadow above the beach. “Looks like the rest of the way is on foot,” Nero said. Lady nodded and started grabbing her things.

“Lady, catch!” Nico said, tossing something in her direction. Lady caught it and stared. She was holding a gun magazine. “I cooked those up special. High capacity and highly blessed, found a priest who did a number on the casings for me. Might come in handy,” Nico said.

“Thank you, Nico,” Lady said, dropping the magazine in a pocket in her skirt. She hadn’t worn the skirt in years, but she needed to carry all the ammo she could and this was a convenient way to have it handy.

Nero gave Kyrie a kiss goodbye. “If this works, I’m bringing them home-all of them,” he said.

Kyrie smiled. “I know you will. I’ll be waiting right here. I love you.”

Nero smiled at her. “I love you,” he said. He glanced at Nico. “Hey Nico, take care and make sure nothing happens to Kyrie for me.”

“Yeah, yeah, you got it. Have a nice trip to hell,” she said, waving.

Nero started down to the beach with Lady following. They walked along the beach parallel to the crashing surf until Nero pointed ahead. “There’s the arch, the cave should be just beyond.” Lady nodded. Fifteen minutes later the entrance to the cave came into view. They cautiously approached the mouth of the cave. Nero peered inside, checked his watch and looked back at the surf line. “We should hurry,” he said. “We’ve got a half hour until the tide changes and I’m not sure how far back it is.”

“Then let’s get going,” Lady said, pulling a flashlight out of one of her many pockets. They entered the cave and started making their way through. It was slow going. The cave was littered with large, algae covered boulders that were super slick. Before long the water level in the cave started to rise.

Picking their way through a particularly tight and slick patch, Nero had to suppress an overwhelming feeling of panic. The water was over waist deep and they hadn’t seen any sign of the portal. Pushing past a very large boulder, Nero felt his heart collapse. It was a dead end. They’d reached the back of the cave and it was just a sheer rock wall. More terrifyingly, they wouldn’t be able to make it back to the cave entrance before the cave fully filled with water. They would drown.

Nero looked at Lady, panic in his eyes. Lady was scanning the wall carefully with her flashlight. “Lady,” Nero started, his voice shaking a little. “I think we’re trapped.”

Lady shook her head and smiled at Nero. “Nope kiddo, look over there,” she said pointing.

Nero followed her finger and grinned. “Wow they did a good job hiding those, I totally missed them!” Nero said, starting toward the worn, rock steps that appeared to be irregularities in the wall at first glance. Carefully ascending the steps, Nero and Lady squeezed through a crack in the rock.

“Good thing I’m not claustrophobic,” Lady muttered, side stepping through.

“At least you’re short. This fucking sucks,” Nero said, crouching down to squeeze past another rock overhead. “How did Agnus fit in here, ugh.”

Lady felt a rush of cold over her boots and looked down. Water was starting to seep into the crack. The cave they’d come in through must be filled with water. “How much farther?” she asked.

“Almost there,” said Nero, “maybe another 30 feet.”

“We should try and pick up the pace. The sea cave is full and it looks like this is next,” she said.

Nero tried to hurry along but it was slick and he had to be careful. By the time he reached the end of the crack, the water was waist high and the current made it hard to move. Stepping out of the crack he saw they were in a larger cave. The crack opened onto a ledge and the floor sloped away to their left. Swinging the flashlight to the right, he caught sight of something. Nero gave a celebratory whoop. “Found it!” he exclaimed.

Lady followed the light of his flashlight. It was illuminating an oval mirror-like object whose surface pulsed and throbbed with a dark gray coating. Lady could feel the evil emanating off it. They jumped down off the ledge and walked up the slope to the mirror. Reaching in one of her pockets Lady took out some glow sticks. Opening them, she activated them and tossed them around the mirror to light up the area. Nero stepped up to the portal and stuck his right hand through it. Suddenly he screamed. Lady panicked and grabbed his arm, pulling him back. She then realized Nero was laughing. She glared at him.

“So sorry, couldn’t resist,” he said holding up his unharmed right hand. “You had such a serious look on your face, I had to,” he said, laughing.

Lady frowned. “You are so related to Dante that it hurts,” she said.

Nero gave her a big grin. Unsheathing Red Queen he held his left hand out. “I think it’s a good idea if we step through together and hang on to each other. In case this is one of those that flings you who knows where,” he said.

Lady nodded. “Probably smart,” she said, un-holstering one of her guns with her left hand. Grabbing Nero’s hand, she nodded at him. Together they stepped through the portal. Lady felt like she was tumbling through space. She couldn’t tell up from down and even though her eyes were open she couldn’t see anything. Suddenly everything stopped. She found herself on her hands and knees on ashen ground. She looked up and felt her head spin.

Nero was a few paces away on one knee. He shook his head. “That was something, wasn’t it?’ he said.

He looked back, just as Lady felt her stomach lurch. She leaned over and retched. Nero stood up and looked around awkwardly. There wasn’t much to see. The ground was ashen with gray clumps that resembled dried out grass as far as the eye could see. It seemed like a very desolate and empty place. He felt a bit of panic looking around because it seemed like there was nothing here. Nero looked to his right to see a small hill. It was the only thing that broke up the desolate plain.

Lady sat back on her heels and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. She looked around. She felt a rising sense of fear. There was nothing here. She looked at Nero.

“Yeah, this place seems empty,” he said. “I’m guessing it’s not. There’s a small hill over there,” he said, pointing to the small rise. “I say we make for it. Get to some higher ground and see what we can see.”

Lady nodded and stood up. “Seems like a good idea,” she said. “Lead the way.”

Nero started in the direction of the hill. “Given how open it is here, we may we want to be on the quieter side if we run into trouble,” he cautioned.

“Yeah I can see this getting interesting,” Lady replied.

The words were no sooner out of Lady’s mouth before the air around them shimmered in three spots. “Portals,” Nero spat. “Run,” he said, taking off for the hill. Lady took off after him. It was too open and given that this was hell, she anticipated they’d be overrun if they fought in the open. She followed Nero, close on his heels.

As he ran, Nero could feel cold spots come up on his right and left. Something in the back of his mind told him to give the spots a wide berth. He angled around them. Finally they reached the hill. It was sheer on one side, like something had scraped half the hill away. Nero turned and faced the demons coming toward them. More had joined the original three and a small horde now bore down on them. Nero felt slightly more confident with their back covered. Beside him, Lady had her pistols drawn. She nodded at him, selected her first target and started firing.

In another area, Dante sat against what qualified for a tree in the underworld. It was more the husk of what a tree would have been like rather than the living thing. Vergil had disappeared. The demons were avoiding him. With no battles, no one to talk to and no sunrise or sunset, it was easy to lose track of time. Dante sat and drifted through his memories.

He drifted back to a memory he hadn’t thought about in a very long time. It had been a late spring day and his mother had taken him and Vergil on a picnic. It was one of the rare times he and Vergil weren’t fighting with each other. Vergil sat on a large rock near the nearby stream, reading a book. Dante had spent time examining the creatures in the stream, while Eva sat on a blanket and enjoyed the warm sunshine.

Dante plopped down next to her as a breeze blew dandelion seeds past them. Eva reached over and picked a dandelion that hadn’t yet lost its seeds. She held it in front of Dante. “Close your eyes, make a wish and blow,” she instructed him. Dante did as he was asked. He opened his eyes and watched the seeds float away on the breeze. “It’s good luck to wish on dandelion seeds,” Eva said.

Dante picked one and held it up to Eva. “Your turn mommy,” he said. Eva closed her eyes and blew as a strong breeze caught the seeds and sent them on their way. “What did you wish for?” Dante asked.

Eva smiled and pulled Dante into her lap, wrapping her arms around him. “I wished that someday you and Vergil find someone special and you teach your children about wishing on dandelion seeds,” she said, squeezing him tight.

“Ugh, no,” Dante said. “Girls are icky.”

Eva laughed. “You won’t always feel that way,” she said.

Dante’s thoughts shifted again and he returned to the memory of the night he spent making love with Lady. “Yeah mom, you were right. Girls aren’t so icky anymore,” he said softly. He closed his eyes and thought again about that night with Lady had made him feel. He’d been so excited to finally be with her and terrified all at the same time. He’d kept everyone at a distance for so long and with Lady he’d been tempted to let down those walls.

A loud boom echoed around him and Dante sat up. “What the,” he said, looking around. Only silence answered him. He shook his head. “Starting to hear things…not a good sign,” he said, sitting back. The boom rang out again. Dante bolted up. “Not hearing things, that’s the Kalina Ann. Shit,” he said, running toward the sound.

“What happened to stealth?” Nero yelled.

“It went out the window the minute that thing showed up,” Lady yelled, pointing Kalina Ann at the Behemoth that was preparing for another charge. The heavy armor was still intact.

“Damnit,” Nero cursed. “There’s too many of them.”

“I noticed,” Lady said, letting the missile fly as it hit the armor on the Behemoth and it cracked. She reached back to reload the rocket launcher, when movement from above caught her eye.

“Nero, incoming from above,” she yelled.

Nero looked up to see a flash of red arch overhead and land in front of him. It was Dante. Dante looked over his shoulder at them. “Tsk, tsk…having a party without me?” he said, drawing his demon sword.

“We didn’t have a forwarding address for the invitation,” Lady yelled, leveling her gun at a Hell Caina coming from her left.

Dane laughed. “Missed you too, Lady. Let’s rock,” he yelled spinning his sword and launching himself at the Behemoth.

Nero shook his head and revved up Red Queen, preparing to face the group of Nobodies to his right. The three battled in unison, Dante and Nero’s swords carving up demon flesh while Lady’s guns laid down suppressing fire. Where once Nero was afraid they’d be overrun, now he was feeling hopeful. The demon ranks were starting to thin. Suddenly there was a shower of blue sparks and the three demons in front of Nero exploded, their crystallized, red demon energy falling to the ground. Nero looked up and met the cold, icy eyes of Vergil.

“Verge, about time you showed up,” Dante called out.

Vergil snorted. “What Dante, you didn’t have this in hand?” he asked coldly.

“I’ve got it under control,” Dante said, pushing back on the Hell Judica he was engaged with. “Just get a little nervous when you disappear is all.”

Vergil didn’t respond. He flicked Yamao at a Fury and it split in two while he looked at it with derision.

Nero cut down the last Nobody in front of him and sheathed Red Queen. He shook his head. “Man, that was close. Dante, thanks for showing up,” he said.

Dante let go of his sword and it dematerialized. Turning he faced Nero with a frown on his face. “Tell me something kid,” he said, his tone icy, “if you’re down here, who’s keeping things safe up there?” Nero gave Dante a confused look. Dante’s anger flared. “I asked you a question,” he yelled, “who’s looking out for things in the human realm?”

Nero looked at Lady for a second but she seemed in shock at Dante’s tone. “Well Trish is looking out for things,” Nero started.

Dante stepped up and got in Nero’s face. “I didn’t leave things in Trish’s hands, I left them in yours,” Dante yelled, poking Nero in the chest with his finger. “I didn’t come down here to look after Vergil so you could wait a hot minute and run down here.”

Nero’s brows knit together and his anger flared. “A hot minute? You ass, it’s been almost a year that you’ve been down here. You don’t think I had a good reason to come down here? You think this is some whim?” Nero shouted back.

“Nero,” Lady said, stepping forward and touching his shoulder. He looked at her and saw the pleading in her eyes. He shook his head and stepped away.

“Nice,” Dante snorted, “just run away.”

Nero turned and lunged toward Dante. A strong arm caught him. “Enough of this foolishness,” Vergil said. “Dante, while I don’t know Nero well, what I do know of him is that he’s honorable. Why don’t we allow him to explain while he and the human female are here?”

Nero shrugged out of Vergil’s hold. “A little girl was taken by a demon. She was taken from an orphanage in the middle of the night. No one up above has any information on the demon who took her. We couldn’t find any reference to a demon that matched the description in any of the texts we had access to. We came down here to find the one person who we thought might be able to help us,” Nero said, anger punctuating his words.

Dante looked thoughtful for a moment. “Tell me about this demon and maybe I can help,” he said.

Nero’s eyes narrowed. “You weren’t the one we were looking for,” he spat.

Dante jerked his head back. “Just who the hell were you looking for?” he asked.

“My fa..Vergil,” Nero said.

Vergil quirked an eyebrow. Lady spoke up. “Dante, while we were looking for Vergil for information, we were looking for you too. We expect this is going to be ugly and well…it wouldn’t be a party without you, right?” she said.

Dante smiled. “Damned right,” he said. “So what are we dealing with?” he asked.

Nero frowned. “We’re not even sure. We don’t have a lot to go on. The only ones who actually saw the demon were the other children in the room when the little girl was taken. They described a demon that was large-it had to crouch down to enter through the door, it had six arms and gave off a rotting, sweet smell,” he said.

Vergil frowned. “Gilgoth,” he said.

“So you know the demon?” Lady asked.

Vergil nodded. “I have seen him. I have never interacted with him directly. You say that he took a girl. Do you know anything of her parentage?” he asked.

Nero shot Lady a look but she ignored it. Vergil saw it and mentally noted it. “She was in an orphanage,” Lady said as an answer.

 _‘So you know something that you’re not telling,’_ Vergil thought. _‘Very interesting.’_

Dante furrowed his brow. “Why would the kid’s parentage matter?” he asked.

Vergil looked at Dante. “Taking a human child makes no sense. Then again, Gilgoth is hardly intelligent. This is not something he would do of his own volition. He is likely working for another demon.

“Any ideas on who he may be working for?” Dante asked.

Vergil sighed. “The only one who makes sense would be Xerxys,” Vergil said.

“Shit,” Dante spat.

“Okay,” Nero said, “so who the fuck is this Xerxys guy and why do we care?”

Dante shook his head. “Vergil, you want to explain this one?” he said.

Vergil regarded Nero and Lady. “Xerxys for all practical tense and purposes is currently in charge down here,” he said. “He is very smart, very cunning and rather dangerous.”

“He’s also full demon with supercharged power,” Dante said. “Worst of the worst right now.”

Lady clenched her fist. “Do you think this Xerxys would have the girl?” she asked.

Vergil nodded. “It is most likely,” he said. “Gilgoth does not maintain a keep of his own. He is usually found at Xerxys’ hold. If Gilgoth took the girl, he would take her there.”

Nero looked around. “And where in this place would you put a keep? I don’t see jack shit here,” he said.

Vergil gave Nero a look. “Tell me Nero, have you felt anything as you’ve moved around down here?” he asked.

Nero furrowed his brow. “I’ve felt some cold spots. They felt kinda weird so I avoided them. Kept Lady away from them too,” he said.

“Wise,” Vergil said. “The cold spots you’ve felt are doors of a sort.”

“This place is like a labyrinth,” Dante explained. “Those doors lead to other places.”

“Dante is correct, after a fashion,” Vergil said. “The doors lead to other dimensions of this realm. The most powerful demons hold dominion over parts of this place. Xerxys is such a demon.”

“Are the doors similar to the portal we came through?” Lady asked. Vergil nodded. “Great,” she said.

Nero appeared to think for a minute. “Can’t you use Yamato to move us there faster?”

Dante laughed. “He could, but we’d be jumping in blind and Xerxys has himself quite a few followers.”

Vergil nodded again. “You say he’s taken a little girl. I would approach with caution. That means I would recommend we use the doors and survey his keep before entering, so we know what we’re dealing with,” he said.

Lady hoisted Kalina Ann on her shoulder. “Then let’s do this and get it over with,” she said.

Vergil turned and walked out on the plain. “Nero, join me,” he said. Nero stepped up to Vergil’s side. Lady and Dante walked behind. “Tell me, do you sense anything?” Vergil asked.

Nero stopped. He took a deep breath and cleared his mind as he’d been taught during sword training. Suddenly he felt his demon senses awake. He could feel multiple doors to the right and one to the left. “One door to the left and three…no four doors to the right,” he said.

Vergil nodded. “Very good. We take the door to the left,” he said, striding to it and stepping through.

Nero looked back at Lady. “You gonna be okay?” he asked.

Lady’s eyes narrowed. “I’ll be fine,” she said. Nero shrugged and stepped through.

Dante looked at her. “These doors can be really disorienting and mess you up,” he said. “We’ve got the benefit of demon blood which lessens the disorientation, so it’s bad but tolerable. Lady, you don’t have to do this,” he said, his tone soft.

“I’m not turning back,” she said, stepping past him and through the door. She almost regretted her words coming out the other side. She once again ended up on her hands and knees, but at least this time her stomach held. Nero reached out a hand and helped her up as Dante came through. Dante gave them an odd look, but Nero and Lady missed it. Vergil, however saw it. _‘So Dante has feelings for this one,’_ he thought, looking at Lady. _‘She’s tougher than most. Few humans can handle travel through a demonic door.’_

Dante looked around. “Which way now?” he asked.

Vergil turned to his right. “This way,” he said. Vergil led them through two more doors. Lady was exhausted but refused to say anything. The plane they were currently on was warmer than the previous ones they’d been through and appeared to resemble a washed out desert. Vergil came to a stop. “We should rest here,” he said.

“We can push on,” Lady said.

Nero shook his head. “Lady, we’re all exhausted. If me with my demon blood is tired, I don’t even know how you’re still standing,” he said.

“Kid’s got a point,” Dante said. “I expect there’s some nastiness waiting on the other side of that last door. Better if we go through tip-top.”

Lady sat down and laid Kalina Ann down beside her. Nero sat down nearby. Vergil stood for a moment, scanning the horizon before coming to sit across from Nero. Dante sat next to Lady. Leaning back on his elbows, he looked at her. “Has it really been a year since I left?” he asked softly.

Lady nodded, digging around in her skirt pockets for some food. “At first we thought you would be back quickly. As more and more time passed, we got worried. Nero told us he was sure you were okay, but…,” her voice trailed off.

“So, you missed me?” Dante asked.

“Yes,” Lady said, meeting Dante’s eyes.

“Missed you too,” he said. “It’s way too quiet here, you know. No one bugging me about all the money I owe them,” he teased.

Lady rolled her eyes. “Well you do still owe me money, so I’m bringing you back too so you can work on paying me back,” she said, grinning.

Dante laughed. “Yeah, we’ll see,” he said. Lady yawned. “Grab some rest,” Dante said. “Douchebag will keep an eye out. Right Verge?”

Vergil stiffened. “We’re safe for the time being,” he said.

“Thank you, Vergil,” Lady said, her eyes drooping as the exhaustion took over. Nero stretched out and closed his eyes. Soon his breathing evened out.

Dante watched his companions for a few minutes, before looking at Vergil. “Where’d you disappear to?” he asked.

Vergil looked at Dante. “I went to seek some answers,” he said.

Dante signed. “Not more supreme power bullshit I hope,” he said.

Vergil’s eyes narrowed. “I have already told you I will not take action that will harm the human realm again,” he said.

Dante gave Vergil a weak smile. “I want to believe that,” he said.

Vergil shrugged. “Believe what you want,” he said.

Dante laid back. “Wake me when you’re ready for some rest,” he said. Vergil nodded and Dante closed his eyes. After a few hours Vergil woke him. Dante watched over the group as Vergil took his rest. He let his demon senses stretch out, confirming they were safe. He felt an arm drape across his lap and looked down to see Lady had rolled over in her sleep and covered him.

 _‘Think good thoughts,’_ Dante thought over and over. He gently pushed the hair back from her face. Part of him couldn’t believe she was here and that it had been a year he’d been gone. It hadn’t felt that long down here. But time moved differently in the underworld. He’d had so much time to think. He’d spent a lot of time thinking about how he regretted pushing her away. She was the one person who he felt comfortable enough to be himself around. She’d seen him at his best and his worst and she was still there. He’d hurt her, he knew that. Somehow he needed to fix this. He needed to figure out how to make things right between them. He’d been scared of his feelings after spending the night with her. But he couldn’t deny that for so long all he wanted was her back with him.

Lady’s eyes fluttered open and Dante removed his fingers from her hair. “Ah, sleeping beauty is awake,” he said, smiling.

Lady realized her left arm was strewn over his lap. She blushed. “Sorry,” she said, removing her arm.

Dante shrugged. “Most action I’ve seen down here, I’m not complaining,” he said, smiling his best roguish smile.

Lady shook her head. “Same Dante,” she said.

“Hey, you know you missed this,” Dante said, giving her a lopsided grin.

“Get a room you two,” Nero muttered. Lady kicked his leg. Nero grinned.

“Now that you’re all awake, shall we continue?” Vergil asked icily.

Lady stood. “Yes, we should get a move on,” she said.

They walked over to the door. Vergil, then Nero stepped through. Lady fidgeted. “Dante, we,” she started. Dante stepped up alongside her and wrapped his arm around her shoulder and before she could say anything else, pulled her through the door.

Dante kept her upright as they came out the other side. “Better?” he asked softly.

Lady still had some nausea going through but it was better. “Yes,” she said. “What happened?”

“I was wondering if maybe being in contact with someone of demon blood might make it better,” Dante explained.

Lady thought back to stepping through the original portal holding Nero’s hand. It hadn’t helped then. “I don’t know,” she said. “Honestly, I don’t care. I’m just glad that’s over with.” She stepped up alongside Vergil and Nero. They stood on a rise overlooking a plain, cracked with a gorge. On the other side of the gorge, stood a large stone fortress with a tower rising up inside the walls. A stone bridge connected the plain to the fortress. A heavy iron gate stood closed at the end of the bridge. It looked impenetrable.

Dante stepped up next to Lady. “This it, Vergil?” he asked.

Vergil nodded, “Xerxys’ keep,” he said motioning at the fortress.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time to get the girl...

**Eva’s Wish**

Chapter 7

Dante stepped up next to Lady and surveyed the bridge and the exterior of the keep. He whistled. “Check out the demon security,” he said. “Looks like Xerxys spared no expense.” Lady felt her heart drop a little, there were demons everywhere. Vergil stood and examined the keep, looking for a weakness.

Dante sighed and materialized his sword. “Well, this party isn’t going to start itself,” he said as he leapt off the rise and dashed down to the bridge.

Lady yelled as Dante made the leap and prepared to follow him but a blue clad arm stopped her. “We have company,” Vergil announced, nodding toward an approaching company of Scudo Angelos and two Proto Angelos in the lead. Lady looked back toward Dante and growled. Turning she leveled Kalina Ann and fired.

Down below them, Dante had landed nimbly on his feet. He smiled at the groups of demons congregated on the bridge. Leaping forward he swung his demon sword in an arc, engaging with the first group of Fury demons with a grin on his face. As he dodged and weaved through his adversaries he felt his blood sing in response. He felt more alive than he had since Vergil had disappeared. He heard the familiar sounds of the Kalina Ann in the background and he felt like all was right with the world.

Up above on the rise, Lady felt growing anxiety. She aimed carefully trying to kill as many of the demons as fast as she could. With each minute, Dante progressed further across the bridge and the distance between them increased. She fired as fast as her fingers could squeeze the trigger. Beside her, Vergil swung Yamato with precision, cutting demons in half. Nero’s Devil Bringer was a blur as he shot it out, catching demons and pulling them in to meet with Red Queen’s charged blade. The ground at their feet was littered with the crystalized remains of the demon energy of their vanquished enemies.

Shooting down the last demon approaching her, Lady spun to see where Dante was at. He had progressed to the middle of the bridge where he was taunting a group of Nobodies. Nero stepped up beside her. Movement at the top of the keep wall caught Lady’s eye. She felt her heart drop, as a trebuchet was moved into position. As Lady grasped what was about to happen, she yelled, “Dante, run!”

Dante heard Lady’s warning and looked up. Seeing a boulder arc over the top of the keep wall, he broke into a run. Streaking forward he made a mad dash toward the keep. He felt the bridge below him give a horrible shudder as the boulder landed mid-span. The sound of falling debris behind him pushed him on faster. He jumped at the last minute and kicked off the keep wall, launching himself upward. Landing nimbly on the top of the wall, he smiled as he watched the remaining demons on the crumbling bridge fall to their doom. ‘ _Well that’s one way to take them out I suppose,’_ he thought. He examined the top of the wall. He was free from any approaching enemies for a moment. He looked back across the gorge to his friends on the other side. Catching Lady’s eye, he gave her a salute and yelled, “See you inside.” With a flash of his red leather jacket, he dropped over the edge of the wall into the keep.

Panic gripped Lady. Nero leaned over and whispered in her ear, “You haven’t told him yet?” She looked at him with wide eyes and shook her head no. “Shit,” Nero said softly. Vergil had stood back but moved forward when he heard Nero’s curse.

Lady gripped Nero’s arm. “We need to find a way in, now,” she said. He nodded. He examined the area around them. The rise they were on sloped down to their left and followed the gorge. The keep on the other side was on a promontory of rock. The gorge was too wide to jump across, although it did narrow slightly. Examining the part that narrowed, it looked like there was a ledge on the other side. If he could trigger and fly across, he might be able to climb up the rock face to the keep from there. He pointed to the narrow spot. “I think if I trigger, I can fly across to that ledge and climb from there,” he said. 

Lady frowned. “How am I supposed to get across?” she asked.

Nero shot Vergil a look. “We’ll figure it out, we need to hurry like you said,” he said, starting for the narrow part.

“Halt,” Vergil commanded. “I will go no further with you until you tell me what it is that you’ve been hiding.” Vergil narrowed his eyes. He had seen the whispered conversation between them but hadn’t been able to catch what was said. He figured this was his opportunity to obtain the information they were obviously hiding.

Lady looked at Vergil with wide eyes. She looked back to the keep and felt like she was going to explode. The anxiety was too much. It was all she could do to remain where she was and not run down the path, ignoring Vergil.

Nero looked at Lady. She didn’t meet his eyes. “The little girl,” he started. Lady grabbed his arm. He stopped and looked at her. Her eyes were wild with fear. “Lady,” he said softly, “we need Vergil’s help. I don’t know if I’m strong enough to carry you across that distance and I’m not going to take the chance. I know Vergil is strong enough.”

Vergil quirked an eyebrow, but waited patiently. Nero opened his mouth to speak but Lady stepped past him and came to stand in front of Vergil. Vergil looked down at her but she kept her head bowed.

“The little girl,” she said pausing “is Dante’s daughter.”

“Dante’s daughter,” Vergil repeated.

Lady looked up at Vergil, unshed tears pricking her eyes. “She is Dante’s and my daughter,” she said.

Vergil said nothing, his brain processing what Lady had said. Something in his memory pricked at him. “Your mother was a priestess, yes?” he asked.

Lady’s brow furrowed. “Yes, what does that have to do with anything?” she asked.

Vergil stepped away from her in thought. Long abandoned machinations came to mind and he stood up straight. “We should go,” he said.

Nero’s eyes narrowed. “No,” he said, “now you know something that you’re not saying. Why does it matter who Lady’s mother was?”

Vergil looked back at his son. He looked from Nero to Lady, seeing the same suspicious look on both their faces. He sighed. “Down here there’s a prophecy and like most prophecies, it’s a riddle. The key will come, a union of holy and unholy. Break the key and reap the reward,” he said.

“What does that even mean?” said Lady.

Vergil looked at Lady. “When I first heard the prophecy whispered of down here, I paid it no mind. After time and research I found some additional information out about it. I was able to puzzle out some of the references. The key that’s a union of holy and unholy I believe is a reference to a child born of demonic and holy ancestry. To break the key I believe is a reference to sacrificing said child. The reward is a reference to great power. Enough power to destroy the barrier between the realms easily,” he said, starting to walk toward the narrowing. “We should hurry.”

Nero’s brows knit together. “My mother, was she a priestess?” he asked, his voice quaking.

Vergil stopped. “Yes,” he said.

Nero looked at Vergil, his body shaking. “Were you going to sacrifice me?” he asked.

Vergil closed his eyes. His past sins flashed through his memory. “I abandoned the plan,” he said. “I left not realizing that your mother was already pregnant.”

Nero’s eyes flashed in anger and he clenched his fist. “So I was just a means to another power grab,” he spat.

“Nero,” Lady said softly, her heart twisting at the anguish on the boy’s face.

Vergil looked at Nero, his eyes flat. “My actions were regrettable,” he said. “I was not thinking clearly at the time. I have been many things, but I will not harm an innocent.”

“And we’re just supposed to trust you?” Nero hissed. “You’ve given us no reason to trust you. You would’ve sacrificed me. How can we trust you won’t try for this great reward for yourself and sacrifice Lilith?”

Vergil looked at Lady. “Your daughter’s name is Lilith?” he asked.

Lady looked at Vergil with trepidation. “Yes, Lilith Eva-Ann,” she said.

Vergil nodded. “A good name,” he said. He pulled Yamato from his waistband. Nero went into a ready stance, unsure what Vergil was doing. Vergil stepped in front of Lady and dropped to one knee, laying Yamato at her feet. He bowed his head and placed his hand on the blade. “I swear on Yamato that as long as I draw breath, I will allow no harm to come to Lilith, or to you Lady, by neither my hand nor any other. Do you accept my pledge?”

Lady blinked. She couldn’t believe what she’d just heard. Vergil, who had always been so obsessed with power at any cost, was promising not to harm her daughter. Her daughter, who if Vergil was to be believed, could unlock great power. She looked down at him. Placing a shaking hand on his shoulder, she said softly, “I accept your pledge.”

Vergil looked up at Lady and nodded. Smoothly rising to his feet, he looked at Nero. “I will allow no harm to come to Lilith as I believe you have also sworn-perhaps not vocally, but I believe you have made that pledge. Let us work together to protect her. I cannot undo the wrong I have done in the past, but I can make different choices now,” he said.

Nero looked at Vergil, his head a rush of confusing thoughts and emotions. Lady stepped up to Nero and looked at him. “I’m glad you’re here too Nero. You’ve always been the best of Sparda’s blood. Will you still help me get Lilith back?” she asked.

Nero looked at Lady. “You know I will,” he said, placing his hand on her shoulder. “Family remember?” Lady smiled. “Let’s go,” he said. Lady nodded. Vergil started down the rise, and Lady turned to follow him.

“Tell me Lady,” Vergil said. “How long have you and my brother been together?” he asked, picking his way down the path.

Lady felt her stomach flip-flop. “We’re not together,” she said softly. “Lilith is the product of a mis-begotten night.”

Something in her tone caused Vergil to stop and look at her. “You did not have feelings for my brother?” he asked.

Lady felt unsure about what to say and fidgeted. “Dante and I are friends,” she said. “I don’t know what happened that night. It-it was almost like a compulsion. I had to be with him,” she said softly.

Vergil’s brows furrowed. “Tell me Lady, did Dante pick up something that night? A new trophy perhaps?” he asked.

Lady nodded. “Yeah, we’d taken down a new type of demon that night, one we hadn’t seen before. Dante brought the head back to the shop,” she said.

Nero’s eyes narrowed. “Why are you asking about this?” he asked.

Vergil shook his head. “Based on what Lady has said, I believe she and Dante came into contact with a totem,” Vergil said.

“A totem?” Lady asked. “What’s that?”

“If your coupling was a compulsion, it sounds to me like a totem may have been planted. Demons cannot use magic to create something from nothing, but they can use magic to corrupt or pervert something that exists. You and my brother have been allies for a long time,” Vergil explained. “That could be twisted into a sexual compulsion with the right magic.”

Lady came to a stop. “We were manipulated into creating Lilith?” she asked, her voice shaking.

Vergil looked at her with an almost soft look. “Based upon what you have said, I believe so.”

Lady’s head spun. She never could quite figure out why she had slept with Dante and now understanding that it may not have been her choice made her feel used. She started questioning everything. Her body shook.

Nero stepped up and put a hand on Lady’s shoulder. “Lady, that is a fucked up thing that was done to you and Dante, but it doesn’t change why we’re here. We need to get Lilith back,” he said, looking her in the eyes.

Lady tried to focus. Nero was right. Regardless of how she came to be, her daughter was here-likely scared and alone. She needed to be strong. She looked at Nero and nodded. “Yes, we get Lilith back and we kick the ass of whatever demon it was that came up with this sick and twisted plan,” she said, anger lacing her words.

Nero nodded. “Agreed,” he said.

Vergil nodded. ‘ _Justice will need to be exacted,’_ he thought. ‘ _This one is under my protection and what was done to her is inexcusable. I will relish each moment of exacting the payment for your transgressions.’_

They reached the narrow part of the gorge. Vergil triggered. “Lady, allow me to help you across,” he said, he voice deep and laced with demonic undertones. Lady repressed the urge to shudder and stepped forward. Vergil scooped her up and leapt across the chasm. Nero triggered and followed. They landed on the ledge they’d seen at the base of the keep wall. Vergil released his trigger and examined the wall. An irregularity stood out to him. Moving his hand over the area, he found a hidden latch. Triggering it, a secret door opened in the wall. 

Nero grinned. “Open sesame,” he said.

Lady un-holstered her guns and nodded. “Let’s go get my girl,” she said.

Vergil gave a cold smile and entered the doorway, leading them into the bowels of the keep.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things are getting interesting...

**Eva’s Wish**

Chapter 8

Dante dropped off the wall into the inner courtyard. The open square was lightly defended and Dante soon fought his way to the steps of the keep’s tower. Lightly running up the steps, he pushed open the door and stepped inside. The tower was seven stories tall. Thick slabs of gray stone were used to construct the tower. The inside stones were polished to a mirror like shine.

A large staircase lay across a hall from the entrance door. Ramps led up to the right and left from the top of the staircase. Dante groaned. “Is there like one architect in hell and all he knows how to make is Temen-ni-gru over and over?” he muttered. “And seriously, would it kill someone to stick an elevator in one of these places? Yeah, I’m part demon and all but even I get a quad burn with all these damned stairs.” Suddenly the air shimmered around him in four places as portals opened with demons stepping through. Dante grinned. “Eh, at least I won’t be bored,” he said, launching himself at a Hell Caina to his right.

Dante quickly dispatched the demons and moved up the stairs. As he ascended each level, he kept running into groups of lower level demons. He’d lost count of how many Empusas, Hell Cainas and Scudo Angelos he’d destroyed. Reaching the top level, he stood and looked around. There were two doors on this level. One was to his right and one to the left, which was located down a short hallway. It had double doors and was flanked by statutes of grotesque looking demons. “Hmmm, which door?” Dante mused. “Think I’ll go with double doors to start.”

He stepped up to the hallway and paused. At each level before, portals had materialized. He waited a moment and nothing happened. He shrugged and walked down the hallway. Tugging the door open, he stepped inside.

Stepping into the room, he threw his arm up to shield his eyes. The room was bathed in a bright, silvery light. Dante felt his demon blood recoil. The sensation was a bit sickening. He looked around; the room was large with heavily ornate arches holding up a domed roof. The light was coming from a crystal floating in the air at the end of the room. Dante could see a table or altar of some kind under the crystal. It looked like a small form might be on the table. The light was making it hard to tell. Dante approached the table, with the light seeming to gain in intensity as he walked forward. He was sorely tempted to pull Ebony and Ivory and shoot the crystal down, but something nagged at the back of his mind and he left it alone.

Reaching the table, it was hard to see with the glare coming from the light. He could see small feet bound to heavy iron rings at the end of the table with leather lashings. The left ankle was badly bruised with angry purple and black marks and it was puffy. Scanning up he saw the small figure was wearing a dirty and torn nightgown. The child’s arms were stretched out away from her body and tied with similar lashings to her feet. Reaching the child’s face, he could see her eyes were closed. Looking at her hair, he chuckled out loud. The child had silver hair. ‘ _Vergil you old,’_ he didn’t finish the thought as the child’s eyes blinked open for a moment. Mismatched eyes looked in his direction for a moment before closing again due to the bright light.

Dante felt like his blood was replaced with ice. The memory of five years before of him and Lady so intimately connected flashed before him. The memory of the faint demon aura he’d felt around her the day she said she was taking that job that would have her gone for several months. Enough time to be gone and have…he paused in his thoughts. His daughter, she’d had his daughter and she didn’t tell him. It had to be his-his hair and her eyes. His mind raced and he stood stock still.

The little girl couldn’t see who it was that had made the noise next to her. “Who-who’s there?” she asked. When there was no answer, she became very frightened. She started to struggle against her bonds.

Dante snapped out of his thoughts when he realized the child was struggling against her bonds. He put a gentle hand on her shoulder. “Hey, hey it’s okay,” he said softly. “My name is Dante. I came here with friends of mine to rescue you.”

The little girl ceased her struggle. “You’re here to rescue me?” she asked in a small voice.

“Yes,” said Dante. “I want you to hold still and I’m going to cut those bonds, okay?” The little girl nodded and Dante summoned his demon sword. He had to place a hand against the table as the strain in pulling the sword from the ether made him feel sick.

The little girl noticed him struggling. “Does the light make you feel yucky too?” she asked.

“Yes, it does,” Dante said. “What is it?”

“I-I don’t know,” she said. “They put it here after I tried to run away.”

Dante nodded and set about to carefully cut the leather lashings with his sword. Reaching down, he helped the little girl sit up on the table. She shielded her eyes and tried to look up at him, but the glare was still too much. Dante crouched down and examined her face. She had a small chin, a small upturned nose and full rosy cheeks. Her silver hair was long and pulled back in a half ponytail. She had bangs that fell to each side of her face. Dante looked again at her left ankle and frowned. It didn’t look good. “You know, my friends were in such a hurry to get here and get to you, they forgot to tell me your name,” he said.

The little girl smiled at him. “I’m Lilith,” she said. “Lilith Eva-Ann.”

Dante felt a shock run through his spine. “Lilith Eva-Ann,” he said slowly. “That is a very pretty name,” he said. “My mother’s name was Eva.” ‘ _And Lady’s mother was Kalina Ann,’_ he thought. _‘Oh Lady, why didn’t you tell me.’_ But if he was honest with himself he knew why. He’d pushed her away harshly enough that she didn’t feel she could tell him.

Lilith beamed at the revelation of Dante’s mother’s name. “Really?” she asked.

He smiled and nodded. “Yep, really,” he said. “Hey Lilith, can I take a closer look at your left ankle?” She nodded. Dante reached out and carefully held her left foot. He gently moved his fingers over the bruised area, lightly prodding.

Lilith’s lip quivered until he reached a really bad spot. ”Ow, ow,” she cried.

Dante stopped and looked up at her. “I’m sorry pumpkin,” he said, “I don’t want to hurt you. I think your ankle is broken. How did that happen?” he asked.

Lilith rubbed the tears from her eyes. “The demon who took me from the orphanage hurt it when I kicked him and tried to run away,” she said.

Dante gave her a smile and wiped a tear from her cheek. “You tried to kick the big demon who took you?” Lilith nodded. “That was very brave of you,” he said. Internally he was amazed at how strong she was to try to get away like that. He sighed. “Lilith, with a broken ankle, it won’t be possible for you to walk on it,” Dante said. “If I’m going to get you out of here I’m going to have to carry you, okay?”

Lilith nodded. Dante scooted over closer to the table. “Wrap your arms around my neck,” he instructed. She did so and he scooped her up and settled her against his left hip, wrapping an arm around her and holding her securely against him. He stood. “You good pumpkin?” he asked. She giggled and nodded. He felt his heart swell at the sound. Something about holding her felt right, like a missing puzzle piece that had found its place.

“You keep calling me pumpkin,” Lilith said.

Dante smiled. “Well, you’re cute like a baby pumpkin, just seemed right to me to call you pumpkin. I can stop if you’d like me to,” he offered. 

Lilith shook her head no. “I like baby pumpkins,” she said, smiling.

“Me too,” said Dante. “Let’s go.” He started for the door. As he walked it dawned on him, he was holding his daughter. He never planned to have children. He didn’t think it was fair that they suffer the same fate he had-to be hunted simply for the accident of their birth. But she was here now and she’d already been a target. Dante held her tight and made a vow then and there, she wouldn’t have his childhood. She wouldn’t grow up without her family-all of her family and he would keep her safe. He needed to figure things out with Lady. Lilith needed them-both of them and if he was being honest, he needed them. He had something to fight for. Something he never expected and never planned on but something he would never let go of. He looked at Lilith and smiled. Yeah, he wasn’t letting go of this. All that was left was to convince her mother that they belonged together-all of them.

Reaching the door to the room, he slowly eased it open. Peeking out, he saw the landing looked clear. He stepped out and looked around. “My friends should be here soon,” he said. He felt a small hand in his hair. He looked at Lilith. Her eyes were wide.

“Your hair is like mine,” she said softly.

Dante smiled at her. “Yep, it is,” he said. Suddenly Lilith gasped and stiffened in his arms. Dante followed her gaze. A very large demon was coming up the steps to his right. Dante held his right hand out, materializing his demon sword. He moved to put Lilith down in the doorway when he caught movement out of the corner of his eye. Two Baphomet demons and a Behemoth were approaching from the ramp on the left. Dante realized he couldn’t put Lilith down. As soon as he did, she’d be a sitting duck for the demons.

The large demon reached the landing and Dante caught a whiff of his scent. The overwhelming stench of rotting fruit reached Dante’s nostrils. It was cloying and sickeningly sweet. “Is this the demon who took you?” Dante asked. Lilith nodded.

Dante took a step forward, examining his foe. The demon was 8 feet tall. He had four arms, two legs and walked similarly to a gorilla with one set of arms holding his torso up. The demon’s body was corded with thick muscles, the size of tree trunks. His face was grotesque with thick teeth that extended above his jaw.

Dante saw the Baphomet demons move into a flanking position. He was pinned in. He considered his options. He didn’t have a lot of great ones-both exits were covered by the demons and he couldn’t risk putting Lilith down. _‘Verge, now would be a great time to make an entrance,’_ he thought.

“Lilith, looks like my friends are running a little late. You and me are going to have to buy some time until they can get here, okay?” Dante said. Lilith nodded. “I need to ask you to trust me. I promise you I am not going to let anything happen to you. Will you trust me?” Dante asked.

Lilith nodded. “Yes,” she said.

Dante smiled. “In a moment I am going to ask you to close your eyes and hold on tight. You may feel my skin change under your arms and if you were to open your eyes, I may look like a monster too-but Lilith, I swear to you, I will not let any harm come to you. Do you trust me?” Dante asked. Lilith met his eyes and nodded. “Good girl,” he said. “Close your eyes and hold on tight,” he instructed. He felt her small arms tighten around his neck.

Dante strode out to the middle of the floor, facing the large demon. “Gilgoth I take it,” Dante said. The demon grinned or as much of a grin as it could muster with the large jutting teeth. Dante shook his head. “Man you have got to do something about that stench. Not gonna be a hit with the ladies. Speaking of ladies, looks like you got a thing for taking small ones. I take offense at that. You don’t ever take a lady against her will,” Dante said, tapping his sword against the floor. “Let’s make sure you never do that again, shall we?” he said, releasing his hold on his demon blood and fully triggering. He pulled one of his wings around, covering Lilith. ‘ _Verge, I hope you’re close’_ he thought as he launched himself at Gilgoth, his arm tight around Lilith.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We fight through to get closer

**Eva’s Wish**

Chapter 9

Dante closed the distance quickly to Gilgoth and lunged at his side, nicking Gilgoth’s hide. Dante jumped, rotating his body, to avoid the large arm that swung at him. He just missed being struck as his jump didn’t reach the same height with the added weight of Lilith. _‘Damnit, too close,’_ he thought. Movement from the corner of his eye caused him to quickly move again as balls of crackling icy energy hurled at him from the Baphomet demons. The energy hit the wall exploding in showers of icicles. _‘Vergil, showing up now would be nice,’_ he growled in his thoughts.

Down in the bowels of the keep, Vergil straightened, flicking Yamato of the Hell Caina’s blood that collected there. His eyes shot up to the ceiling above. Lady noticed the movement. “Is everything ok?” she asked.

Vergil looked at her. “I believe Dante has engaged with the enemy,” he said simply. “We should hurry.”

Nero furrowed his brow. “How do you know? I can’t hear anything,” he said.

Vergil sighed. “When we were children, we had a connection if you will; I could sometimes hear Dante without words. I just heard him,” he said.

Lady bit her bottom lip. “Don’t twins sometimes have like a telepathic connection?” she asked.

Vergil shrugged. “Perhaps,” he said.

“Is he ok?” Lady asked. 

“Seems like he would appreciate some assistance,” Vergil said. 

“That’s out of character,” said Nero.

Lady’s eyes widened. “Lilith,” she said.

Vergil nodded. “I suspect he may be looking for assistance as he cannot fight as he usually would.”

“Let’s hurry,” Lady said. They rushed toward the stairs ahead.

Above at the top of the tower, Dante accelerated and jumped again to avoid a wild swing from Gilgoth. In his arms, Lilith held tight. Dante gripped his demon sword tight as he came down with a downward thrust to Gilgoth’s neck. Dark demon blood erupted from the wound and Dante quickly backed up, avoiding the spray. Lilith retightened her grip and Dante held her securely against his hip. The sound of stomping feet was the only warning Dante had as he leaped up, avoiding the charge of the Behemoth. Slamming his sword down as he fell, he cracked the armor of the beast, with it falling to the floor. Dante could feel his body burning through his demonic energy. He wouldn’t be able to stay triggered for a whole lot longer. With Gilgoth badly hurt, he turned his attention to the large demon again. He needed to go for the killing blow and he needed to do it now. He sprung forward and leapt, turning over in the air to avoid another wild swing of Gilgoth’s arm. He saw the opening as Gilgoth’s arm reached the apex of its arc; he angled his sword and drove down, piercing the soft skin at the base of Gilgoth’s arm. Ramming the sword in deep, he felt it when his sword pierced Gilgoth’s demon heart. Gilgoth gave a shrill scream as his body exploded in a flash of sand and red, crystalized demon energy bounced across the floor. Dante pivoted upon landing and stabbed the Behemoth in the center of its head, with it also exploding in a flurry of sand and energy.

Dante stood and looked to the two Baphomet demons. He ran and jabbed his sword quickly, before they could mount an offense. They also exploded. He stood, breathing deeply. His energy close to expended. Too late he caught sight of the scythe wielding Hell Caina. He realized he couldn’t get his sword around in time to engage the demon. Nor could he grab Ebony or Ivory fast enough with Lilith in his arms. He turned his body, shielding Lilith. He felt the bite of the scythe against his right shoulder blade as a loud boom echoed off the walls and blue sparks exploded overhead. Lilith screamed.

Dante glanced over his shoulder and confirmed the demon was gone. He planted his left foot and dropped on his right knee. Setting Lilith on his left thigh, he frantically looked her over for a wound. He felt a small hand on his right cheek. “You do look like a monster,” Lilith said, “but I’m not scared.” Dante released his hold on his demon blood as he returned to his human visage. Lilith smiled. “I think I like this face better,” she said.

“Are you okay, were you hurt?” Dante asked, his tone expressing his worry.

“I’m okay,” Lilith said. “The loud noise scared me.”

Dante crushed her against his chest in a hug. “Thank goodness,” he said.

Lady came rushing up and slid down on her knees next to them. “Dante, is she okay?” she asked, panic across her face.

Dante met Lady’s eyes and saw the terror there. He gave her a warm smile, trying to reassure her. “She’s okay,” he said softly. “Kalina Ann scared her is all.”

Lady’s eyes filled with tears and she reached out, coming just short of touching Lilith’s back. Dante reached out and gently covered her hand, placing it on Lilith’s back. Meeting Lady’s eyes, he gave her a soft look. Lilith turned around and met Lady’s gaze. Lilith’s eyes widened. “Lilith, this is Lady,” Dante said. “She’s my friend I was telling you about, who came down here to find you.”

“Your eyes are like mine,” Lilith said, wonder in her voice.

Lady smiled. “Yes, they are,” she said.

“Hey old man, you want that thing out of your back?” Nero said. 

Dante glanced over his shoulder. The scythe was still embedded in his back. “Yep, might be nice,” he said. “Lady will you take Lilith? Her ankle is hurt and she can’t put weight on it.” Lady nodded and reached out and set Lilith on her hip. She turned away so Lilith wouldn’t see as Nero removed the scythe from Dante’s back.

“Better?” Nero asked Dante.

Dante nodded. “Yeah, I’ll admit, I’m getting tired of getting poked with sharp objects all the time,” he said.

Vergil snorted. “I believe you wouldn’t know what to do in a battle if you weren’t working from a disadvantage from a stab wound,” he said.

Dante frowned. Lady stepped back to the group. “We should get Lilith out of here,” she said.

Dante nodded. “Couldn’t agree more. What do you say pumpkin, you ready to blow this popsicle stand?” he asked.

Lilith looked around and frowned. “I don’t see any popsicles,” she said.

Nero laughed and Lady shook her head. “We should go,” Vergil said.

Dante nodded. Lilith looked at Dante and he smiled at her. “Lady, how about I take her? I can use the sword one handed, which will allow you to use Kalina Ann if we run into more trouble,” he said.

Lady nodded. She didn’t want to let go of Lilith, but Dante made sense. The most important thing right now was getting Lilith out of there safely and that would take all of them. She would be limited in what she could do holding Lilith and Dante had already shown he could still fight and protect Lilith with one hand. She stepped up to Dante and he reached out and took the small girl. As he did, he leaned over and whispered in Lady’s ear, “Once we get out of here, I think you and I have got a lot we need to talk about.” Lady stiffened but when she met his eyes, all she saw was a warm look. She nodded. Inside, she tried to process what she was seeing. She’d expected anger or maybe indifference, but not warmth.

“This way,” Vergil said, starting down the stairs to their right.

Dante adjusted Lilith on his hip. “What do you say pumpkin, you ready to go?” he asked. She smiled and nodded. “Then let’s get you out of here,” he said, following Vergil.

Lady watched Dante start after Vergil and felt like she was rooted to the spot. A gentle squeeze of her shoulder broke her out of it. Nero looked at her with a soft smile. “I think everything is going to work out alright,” he said, giving her shoulder another squeeze.

Lady shook her head. “What makes you so sure?” she asked.

“Because look,” he said, motioning toward Dante. Dante was saying something to Lilith and the little girl was laughing. “Lady, he’s not angry,” Nero said. “I think the two of you have a lot to say to one another but I’m betting that he might just surprise you.”

Lady shrugged. “I’m not sure I’m ready for surprises,” she said.

Nero gave her a look. “For Lilith’s sake, maybe just consider it. C’mon we shouldn’t fall too far behind,” he said, gently pushing her toward Dante and Vergil. Lady nodded, her feet falling in step while her head spun with all the confusing emotions running through it. Dante’s reaction had thrown her. She wasn’t expecting this. She expected anger, indignation or even coldness. Instead it felt like acceptance, warmth, love maybe? She didn’t know what to feel. She wasn’t sure exactly what it was he was feeling. Her head was a mess of confusing feelings and worries. What would their future look like? She had promised Nero that Lilith would come home but seeing how Dante reacted to the girl, whose home would she go home to? She followed Dante and Vergil, her head still a mess of emotions and concerns.

The group slowly descended the tower, engaging with small groups of demons on the way down. Remembering Lilith’s reaction to Kalina Ann at the top of the tower, Dante had quickly whispered to the girl to put her head on his shoulder and cover her other ear with her hand. She’d done so and it seemed like the gunfire scared her less. Dante had been cautious in the skirmishes, taking special care to keep Lilith as far back from the danger as possible. Lady had stepped to Dante’s left flank and covered Dante’s side, keeping the demons a safe distance from them with her guns. They exchanged a look, acknowledging their shared mission to keep Lilith safe.

Reaching the base of the tower, Vergil slowly pushed open the door to the courtyard and scanned the area before stepping out. He held the door open while scanning the area for any demonic auras. Dante stepped out, his eyes scanning the top of the keep’s walls for any signs of danger. Lady came out and quickly moved to Dante’s side, continuing to flank Lilith and keeping the small child between them. Behind them, Nero covered their backs, also scanning for any signs of danger. He spoke first. “So how do we get back?” he asked. “Can we use Yamato to open a portal back to the original gate we came through?”

Dante shared a look with Vergil. “We could do that, but Yamato can’t cross the barrier between the realms. So we could leave, but Vergil wouldn’t be able to,” he said, his voice uncharacteristically soft.

Nero’s brow furrowed. He didn’t like the idea of one of them being left behind. “Is there a way to bring Yamato across the barrier?” he asked.

Vergil quirked an eyebrow. “I would’ve expected you all to be happy of the thought of me remaining here,” he said.

Dante shook his head. “You may be a douchebag, but you’re still my brother and you would be down here without someone to keep an eye on you. Not okay with me,” he said.

“Dante, language,” Lady hissed.

“What?” Dante said.

Lilith cocked her head to the side. “What’s a douchebag?” she asked.

Lady pinched the bridge of her nose and then looked at Dante, with a large smile. “Yes Dante, what’s a douchebag?” she said, with a sickeningly sweet tone.

Dante found himself with four sets of eyes staring at him expectantly. He thought about it a moment and inwardly groaned. He looked at Lilith and smiled. “So Lilith, you see, when you’re older, I’ll explain that to you. In the meantime, just know that Vergil is a douchebag and it’s not a good thing. Got it?” he said. Lilith nodded.

Lady rolled her eyes. “Lilith, it’s not a nice thing to call someone a douchebag. Dante is being very rude. Please don’t call someone by that, okay sweetie?” she said.

“Hey,” Dante started.

“Enough,” Vergil said. “This quibbling over Dante’s lack of manners gets us nowhere. Nero has asked an important question. It is accurate that as of now, Yamato seals the Qliphoth from the human realm and as such, cannot cross the barrier. However, I have done some research and there is a way to maintain the seal without the use of the Yamato, and allow the sword and I to cross over,” he said.

Dante looked at Vergil. “You found something when you disappeared on me,” he said, smiling.

Vergil nodded. “I found a way to maintain the seal that does not require Yamato,” he said. “However, it will not be easy. It may be best to send Lilith back across the barrier before I try to come back.”

“What do you need to maintain the Qliphoth seal?” Nero asked.

“There is a binding ritual that can be used to bind a demon of sufficient strength to the seal. However, it requires a very strong demon to power it,” Vergil said.

Understanding dawned on Lady’s face. “So you would require a demon like Xerxys to power the seal?” she asked. Vergil nodded.

“Any ideas on how we might capture him?” Nero asked. 

At that moment, hell unleashed itself on the courtyard with multiple portals opening. Dante and Vergil spun at the sense of the multiple demon auras. Dante’s arm reflexively tightened around Lilith. “Hold on pumpkin,” he cautioned. He felt her small arms tighten around his neck. Vergil moved toward Dante’s left, staying in front but putting the small girl at his back. Dante nodded toward Vergil. Suddenly arrows of light materialized and starting rocketing toward them. Vergil summoned his ethereal swords and spun them around their group. He thought the barrier he’d created was tight but Nero’s yell from behind him alerted him, that there had been an unaccounted for arrow.

“Lady,” Nero yelled, diving to her side. She was holding her right shoulder, with blood darkening her shirt below her hand.

Dante spun around and moved to Lady’s right side. “Nero, take Lilith,” he said, handing the small girl off to his nephew. “Lady, let me see,” he said, gently moving her hand away from the wound. His brow furrowed. The arrow hadn’t dematerialized upon contact and was still lodged in her shoulder. Her skin smoked around the entry point.

“Ungh,” she ground out, while trying to breathe through the pain.

Dante looked at her, his brow furrowed. “Lady, I’m going to have to break the arrow to get it out,” he said.

“Just do it,” she said, moving her head back at the pain.

Dante grabbed the arrowhead behind her shoulder and the shaft and bent them down until they snapped. Lady brought her head forward and bit Dante’s shoulder to muffle her scream of pain. Dante pulled the pieces free from her shoulder and triggered. “I’m sorry,” he said, looking at her. Calling forth flame, he pushed his index finger into her wound, cauterizing it. Lady’s scream took on a higher pitch and Dante feared she might pass out. Dante removed his finger and released the hold on his demon blood, pulling Lady close for a moment in a hug, before reaching down and searching through the pockets of her skirt. Finding the gauze he was looking for, he wrapped the wound. A sheen of sweat coated her face. Dante cupped her face. “Stay with me,” he said, staring into her eyes. She nodded.

Nero had moved off to the side after Dante handed him Lilith. He released his hold on his demon blood and half-triggered. His ethereal wings burst forth and he wrapped them around the small girl in his arms. He’d turned away so she couldn’t see what Dante was doing. He spoke to her in low tones and tried to distract her from Lady’s cries. He noticed Vergil’s summoned swords move and float around them, providing a barrier to protect Lilith. He exchanged a look with Vergil and nodded his acknowledgement. 

The rain of energy arrows let up as quickly as they’d started. An eerie silence descended over the courtyard. Nero felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up on end. Something with a massive demonic aura was approaching.

“Dante,” Vergil warned.

“I feel it Verge,” Dante said. “Hold tight, we are all getting out of here,” he said, dropping his hand from Lady’s cheek. “Nero, protect them,” he said, standing and moving to Vergil’s side.

Nero moved back to Lady’s side. “I’m on it Dante,” he said. Extending an ethereal wing in front of Lady, providing some cover.

Dante and Vergil walked down the steps and descended into the courtyard side by side. Darkness swirled near the base of the keep wall ahead of them. The darkness parted and a man stepped through and into the courtyard. He had long black hair, pulled back in a ponytail. His eyes were pure black, set against pale skin with light pink lips, set in a straight line. Several lesser demons followed behind him into the courtyard, flanking behind him.

A breeze picked up and blew Dante’s red leather coat and Vergil’s black coat behind them. Vergil smirked. “Xerxys,” he snorted. Dante remained quiet, his grip tightening on his devil sword.

Xerxys inclined his chin, a ghost of a smile on his lips. “Vergil, I am surprised to find you at Dante’s side. To see the sons of Sparda united,” he paused, “is most unexpected.”

Dante narrowed his eyes, but remained quiet. Vergil could feel the rage rolling off Dante.

Xerxys turned his dead eyes to Dante and gave a cold smile. “What Dante, no witty quip for me? How unlike you,” he drawled.

“You hardly seem worth wasting the breath on,” Dante said coldly.

Xerxys raised his hand to his chest in mock indigence. “Why Dante, you wound me,” he said. “And to think how easily you fell into my plans. So very easy,” he said, drawing out his words. “I didn’t expect the totem to work, to be honest. I had contingency plans in place, but Dante, oh how you surprised me,” he said slyly. “The way you slaked your lust with the human woman…with such abandon,” he said, with a smug look.

Dante’s knuckles were white with the tight grip he kept on his sword. Anger rolled off of him, palpable in its fury. “Totem, hunh,” he said, his voice low. “Should’ve figured. So that’s why I lost control that night,” he said, shaking his head. “I should have known something was wrong. I know her vow, I know she wouldn’t lower herself to be with me. I’m part devil, not someone she could ever love. For one night, I was given something I had no right to have,” he said.

Xerxys smiled, a cold smile that never reached his eyes. “How dare you,” Dante hissed. “How dare you turn one of the most badass women I’ve have ever known into little more than a vessel for your sick and twisted plans.” Dante glared at Xerxys. “You will pay for that,” he said, his words punctuated with anger.

Lady sat propped up in the doorway as Dante spoke to Xerxys, fighting the pain that threatened to engulf her. But through the pain, she listened to their exchange. Choosing to concentrate on Dante’s words rather than the pain, she felt her heart constrict at Dante’s words. _‘He thinks he’s not good enough to be loved because he’s part demon,”_ she thought. “ _He thinks I would reject him.”_ She felt tears prickle at the edges of her eyes. She remembered all the times she’d repeated her vow to kill all demons. _‘But that would mean Dante, Trish and Nero,”_ her voice inside said. _“Now Lilith would fall into that category too. You gave birth to a daughter whose part demon. Would you kill her too?”_ her voice inside asked. Lady’s eyes flicked to Lilith. She sat quietly on Nero’s hip, her head against his shoulder, watching what was happening. Nero was gently rubbing her back, trying to comfort her while his ethereal wing was wrapped around her protectively.

Lady looked back to Dante. She’d spent so much of her life with him. At this point she’d been with him longer than her family. He was her best friend, her anchor in this crazy world. Being around him had been safe, comfortable. He accepted who she was, didn’t try to change her. He tried to help her in her plans, keep her alive and fighting another day. That night five years ago had changed something for her, it had hinted at something so much more. After all if she were honest with herself, why had she brought Lilith into the world? It was because she was a manifestation of a dream she held so deep, she couldn’t even admit it was there. A slight hope that the best friend who meant so much to her could be so much more.

Lady’s thoughts were interrupted by Xerxys’ laughter. “I’ll pay? Oh Dante, you forget yourself,” he hissed. “This is my realm. I rule here. I have the power. You are and your worthless brother are mere half-breeds. I am a full demon. I am power incarnate and I will take my prize. Get the girl,” he yelled.

The lesser demons surrounding him leapt forward. Vergil shot Xerxys an icy glare. “Foolishness,” he said, nocking Yamato from its scabbard.

“We agree,” Dante said, steadying his demon sword.

The group of Nobodys, Furies and Hell Cainas came within striking distance and the brothers jumped forward, moving in unison. Wide sweeping arcs of their swords cut down the demons in front of them. More portals opened and Nero tightened his grip on Red Queen, starting to rev up the sword’s engine. A thought occurred to him. “Lady, can I put Lilith down with you for a moment?” he asked, maintaining watch over the battle in front of him.

“Of course,” she said. Nero positioned Lilith next to Lady, with the little girl resting against the door to keep the weight off her injured ankle. Nero shrugged out of his coat. Tying the arms together, he slipped the coat over one shoulder, making a makeshift sling. Checking the knot again, he nodded. Reaching down, he picked up Lilith and slid the sling under her legs. Lady did her best to help position the girl. Lilith was supported against Nero’s side and now he had use of both arms. Lady nodded. “This is smart Nero,” she said, using Kalina Ann to help steady herself.

“Got a feeling we’re going to be in the thick of things soon,” he said. “Xerxys seems to be throwing at lot at Dante and Vergil. No way we get ignored.” Lady nodded.

Below them, Dante and Vergil were blurs in the courtyard. Their differing styles were evident but working well in tandem with the multiple enemies. The lower level demons started trying to flank Dante and Vergil and move around to Nero and Lady’s position. Lady and Nero opened fire with their guns, maintaining a safe perimeter around them.

Dante chanced a look back at them and felt a sense of relief seeing their guns blazing and the perimeter holding around them. He turned back to the Proto Angelo he was engaged with and saw the demon leaping toward him. He sidestepped and drew Ebony. Firing suppressive fire, he pulled his demon sword from the ether again and dashed forward, knocking the Angelo’s sword aside and landing a diagonal cut across its chest. Vergil was a blur alongside him, as waves of cuts emanated from Yamato, slicing through the Nobodys and Hell Antenoras surrounding them.

Xerxys’ expression changed from smirking to his lips forming a straight line as the battle raged on. As Dante and Vergil cut down his demon forces and Nero and Lady maintained a perimeter around his prize, Xerxys felt a pang of an unfamiliar feeling-anger.

“Enough,” Xerxys yelled. His demon forces halted at his call.

Vergil re-sheathed Yamato. “Do you yield?” he asked.

Xerxys’ eyes narrowed. “Yield? To the likes of you?” he seethed. “I think not. It would seem to accomplish my goals I must take matters into my own hands,” he hissed.

Dante’s eyes narrowed. “Bring it on asshole,” he said.

Xerxys form shuddered. A wave of concussive force blew out in a concentric circle from him. Nero moved one of his ethereal arms in front of him and Lilith to block the blow. His other wing snapped out to shield Lady. Dante and Vergil stood their ground with the wave flapping their jackets back.

Xerxys had dropped the last of his human visage and stood in his true form. He was ten feet tall with thick purple skin, veined with blue. He had a single red eye. His arms were long with sharp claws at the end. He gave a blood curdling scream and his eye began to glow. Suddenly a strong laser beam fired from the eye. Sweeping from left to right, everything caught in its beam vaporized, including Xerxys’ own forces.

“Shit,” Dante yelled, rolling to avoid the beam. Vergil launched himself in the air to avoid the beam. Nero’s eyes widened and he turned, grabbing Lady’s hand, he kicked in the tower door and rushed in, pulling Lady with him. Rushing down the stairs he rounded them just as the beam hit the outer wall. The stones exploded. Nero pushed Lady against the side of the stairs and sandwiched Lilith between them as waves of dust and debris fell around them. Lilith screamed and Lady held her tightly.

Dante saw Nero pull Lady into the tower as the beam hit and the rock wall of the tower exploded. The front of the tower started to crumble. Dante felt his heart clench in panic. Stones fell but somehow the tower stood. “Nero, Lady,” Dante yelled. There was no response.

“I still sense Nero and Lilith’s auras,” Vergil said. “Nero will protect them. Focus Dante,” he said.

Dante looked at Vergil. “This asshole dies here and now,” he growled.

Vergil gave a cold smile. “I have a fate worse than death for him,” he said. “He dares to raise a hand against our family.”

Dante’s lip pulled up at the side. “Well Verge, shall we show him how this family fights?” he asked.

“I believe we shall,” Vergil said, triggering.

Dante glared at Xerxys and released his hold on his demon blood, triggering. He and Vergil launched into the air.

Inside the tower, Lady brushed the dust from Lilith’s face. “Are you okay?” she asked. Lilith nodded, tears streaking down her cheeks, leaving trails in the dust. “Thank god,” Lady breathed. “Nero are you alright?” she asked.

Nero coughed. “Yeah, I think so. That was close, way too close,” he said.

“Nero, stay here and keep Lilith safe,” Lady said. “If things go south, you get her out of here.”

Nero opened his mouth to protest but met Lady’s eyes and stopped. “You’ve got it,” he said, holding tight to Lilith.

“I’ll be right back,” Lady said, hefting Kalina Ann awkwardly with her shoulder injury. She picked her way up the stairs carefully, watching overhead for falling debris. Reaching the shattered doorway, she took up position on the left side. Peering around the edge, she surveyed the courtyard. Dante and Vergil were triggered and were airborne, spinning out of the laser’s reach and launching summoned swords of red and blue at Xerxys. Lady could see several cuts blossoming on Xerxys’ body from the twins’ onslaught.

Dante and Vergil came to rest on opposite sides of Xerxys. Lady took a deep breath and ignoring the pain screaming in her right shoulder, she spun out from cover and aiming Kalina Ann, she squeezed the trigger. A missile launched toward Xerxys’ eye. Dante and Vergil felt the missile launch and both started toward Xerxys at the same time.

The missile hit the intended target in Xerxys’ eye, knocking his head back. Dante’s sword hit Xerxys in the left side of his chest. Yamato entered the right side of Xerxys’ chest. He gave a scream that shuddered the keep and its walls. Xerxys reverted to his human form and dropped to a knee. Dante and Vergil dropped with him, their swords still in place. Releasing their holds on their triggers, Dante and Vergil locked eyes. Dante smiled. “Still got it, Verge,” he said.

Vergil gave a snort. “Never lost it,” he said.

“So what do we do with shitbag here?” Dante asked.

Vergil gave a cold smile. “As I said before, I have a fate worse than death for him. A power source is needed for the seal. He will provide it,” he said.

“How…how could you mere half-breeds defeat me?” Xerxys said, coughing up some blood. Vergil gave him a look of disgust.

Dante crouched down. “Always the same with you guys-more power. Power doesn’t mean crap if you don’t have the soul to wield it. You and your ilk are seriously lacking in that department.” Dante chuckled. “Sounds like Vergil had plans to give you an eternity to think about it.” Dante stood and rubbed his shoulder, it came away bloody. “Shit, another coat to replace,” he said.

Vergil quirked an eyebrow. “I believe that would be a point to me,” he said.

Dante looked at him with wide eyes. “What the…how do you figure that?” he said.

Vergil turned slightly showing Dante his back. “No cuts,” he said.

Dante shook his head. “Fine, you get this round, but next battle, you’re going down,” he said.

Lady approached the pair. “Everyone okay?” she asked.

“Dante has received a wound,” Vergil said.

Lady looked at Dante with concern. Dante smiled tiredly. “I’m alright, just a scratch,” he said.

Lady nodded. “What do we do with him?” she asked, indicating Xerxys.

Vergil smiled coldly. “He will be taken to the Qliphoth root and I will perform a binding ritual. His power will maintain the seal between this realm and the human realm. Once the ritual is complete, Yamato will be able to cross the barrier,” he explained.

“You can come back with us,” Lady said. Vergil nodded.

“You ready to rejoin the living?” Dante asked.

Vergil gave a wry look. “I have been with the living, just of the demon realm,” he said.

Dante looked at Vergil. “The human realm is a little different story,” he said. Vergil was quiet.

Lady smiled at Vergil. “You won’t be alone,” she said. “You’ve got a family.”

Dante grinned. “She’s not wrong, Verge. Hell I don’t expect it will be too much longer before Nero pops out a little one of his own. Grandpa Vergil, got kind of a ring to it,” he said.

Nero sputtered. They hadn’t heard him approach. Vergil’s eyebrows raised. “Dante you jerk,” Nero said. “Kyrie isn’t pregnant. I mean someday maybe, but certainly not now.”

Lady laughed at Nero’s expression. Vergil was visibly uncomfortable and then his expression changed. He looked at Dante and smiled. “And someday Dante, you shall join the ranks of grandparent as well,” he said. Dante’s grin dropped. Lady shook her head. “Boys, enough. We need to get that seal powered up,” she said.

Dante nodded. He smiled at Lilith. “Pumpkin you ready to get out of here?” he asked. She nodded and reached for him. He reached out and took her from Nero, settling her again on his hip. Nero switched places with him and kept hold on the demon sword.

Nero grinned. “Shall we get this guy in his prison?” he asked.

“Let us,” Vergil said. Keeping the swords in place, they directed Xerxys to his feet. Vergil pulled Yamato and Xerxys grunted in response. Slicing a portal, Nero shoved Xerxys through .Vergil followed. Dante put his arm around Lady, cautious of her wound and stepped through. After Dante and Lady came through, Vergil closed the portal.

“Home sweet home,” Dante quipped.

Lady’s stomach was flip-flopping. Lilith frowned. “Are you okay?” she asked.

Lady gave her a weak smile. “I’ll be fine,” she said. “Portals don’t make me feel good.”

“Oh,” Lilith said,

Dante rubbed Lady’s back. “Try and take some deep breaths,” he said. “Verge, you got everything you need for this?” he asked.

“Yes,” Vergil replied. 

“Then let’s get his over with,” Dante said. “Apparently it’s been over a year since I had pizza and there’s a pie out there with my name on it.

Vergil nodded and pulled Xerxys over to the Qliphoth root. He reached in his coat and removed several vials and bags of powders. Dante and Lady stepped back and watched. Lady looked around them. “You said home sweet home when we came through the portal. Is this where you’ve been for the last year?” she asked

Dante gave a wry smile. “Yep. At first it wasn’t too bad, lots of sparring with Vergil. Then we’d get interrupted by demons,” he chuckled, “it was quite a bash for a bit. Then the demons started avoiding us, then Vergil up and disappeared. I had a lot of time to think,” he said, his voice trailing off.

Lilith looked at him with concerned eyes. “You lived here?” she asked. “What did you eat? I don’t see a bed, where did you sleep?” she asked in quick succession.

Dante gave her a soft look. “Well, pumpkin, things are a little different for someone like me down here. You don’t really get hungry and I slept right over there,” Dante said, pointing to the husk of what passed for a tree.

Lilith looked in the direction that Dante had pointed. She frowned and tightened her grip around Dante’s neck. Dante was caught off guard by her action and moved a hand to her back. Lady caught the movement and she put her hand on Lilith’s back as well. “Are you okay sweetie?” Lady asked.

Lilith looked back to her with tears threatening. “This place is worse than the orphanage. I didn’t think there was anyplace worse, but this is,” she said, as the tears rolled down her cheeks.

Dante reached up a hand and wiped the tears away, his heart struck at Lilith’s actions. “Pumpkin, don’t cry,” he said softly. “It’s okay. I’m not staying here anymore. We’re all going home, all of us.”

Before Lilith could say anything, a bright, blue light erupted and Xerxys gave a loud scream. Dante turned away and brought a hand up to Lilith’s head, covering her ear and pushing her other ear into his shoulder. The light dissipated and as Dante’s eyes adjusted, he turned back to see a crystalline structure with Xerxys trapped inside. Vergil and Nero approached with Nero returning Dante’s demon sword to him. Vergil looked back at the structure with a cold smile. “Got him all sealed up, Verge?” Dante asked.

Vergil released the icy smile and nodded at Dante. “Yes, the barrier on the Qliphoth is now powered by Xerxys rather than Yamato,” he said.

Dante grinned. “Shall we?” he asked.

Vergil nodded. “This way,” he said, leading them away.

“Do we have to go through more portals?” Lady asked, unable to keep the trepidation from her voice.

“We need to seal the original portal you came through,” Dante said. “Verge can’t use Yamato to go someplace he’s never been unless he’s zeroed in on a demonic aura. So we’ll need to jump through some portals.”

“Only two,” Vergil said, slashing Yamato through the air.

Lady groaned.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The start of a new normal...

**Eva’s Wish**

Chapter 10

Lady was dismayed at the thought of traveling through more portals. “Great,” she said unenthusiastically.

Dante stepped to her side and gently put an arm around her. “I’ve got you,” he said. Lady nodded and they stepped through the portal. She barely had a chance to recover before they stepped through the original portal Lady and Nero had come through.

Arriving in the cave with the portal, Lady fell to her knees as the fought the nausea. She breathed deeply through her mouth. Dante knelt beside her. “Sorry about that,” Dante said, giving her uninjured shoulder a gentle squeeze. “Just rest up for a moment.” Dante stood and walked over to a boulder with a flat top. Setting Lilith down, he bopped her nose. “Sit tight for a sec pumpkin,” he said, flashing her a smile. She giggled and nodded. Dante crossed over to the portal where Nero and Vergil were examining it. “Verge, you think Yamato can seal this thing off?” Dante asked. “I don’t like the idea of leaving any of these things open.”

“Yes,” Vergil said.

“We’ve been looking this over since this was created by a human rather than a demon,” Nero explained.

Dante frowned. “I’m not sure I care who made it as long as it’s closed off. No sense to leave it for someone to stumble in on or for something to find its way across,” he said.

Vergil nodded and drew Yamato. With three barely visible swipes of the sword, the portal cracked and crumbled. “Good riddance,” Nero said. “Hopefully that’s the last of Agnus’ experiments out in the world.”

“We shall have to speak of this Agnus at a later time,” Vergil said. “I would like to know more.”

“Not much for the kid to tell you,” Dante said. “He was creepy and way too interested in our family for any good to come of it.”

Nero nodded. “Dante’s right. I’ll be happy to go over the details with you later if you want, if you think there’s something to learn there. I also snatched some of his research. I can show you later on if you want,” Nero said, fidgeting slightly.

“Yes, I would like to see that,” Vergil said.

Dante slapped Vergil on the back. “Just don’t get any ideas about using it to take over the world or something, bro,” he said.

Vergil gave Dante a cross look. “I would not,” he said.

Dante chuckled. “Forgive me for not quite trusting you. Your track record hasn’t been so hot to date,” he said. Dante caught sight of Lady, starting to recover from the double portal jump. “If you’ll excuse me,” Dante said, walking to her side. “You doing better?” he asked. She nodded and looked toward Lilith. The little girl was swinging her feet and looking around the cave. Dante followed Lady’s eyes. He took a deep breath. “Lady is she,” he started, but Lady wasn’t paying attention to him. She rose and walked up to Lilith. Dante watched her go.

Coming to stop in front of Lilith, Lady crouched down to Lilith’s level and smiled at her. “Are you doing okay?” she asked. Lilith nodded. Lady took a deep breath and looked in Lilith’s eyes. “Lilith, you know how we have the same eyes?” she asked.

Lilith smiled. “Yes,” she said, “I’ve never seen someone else with eyes like me before.”

Lady gave a small smile. “Lilith, your eyes are like mine because,” she paused taking a deep, steadying breath. “I’m your mother.”

Lilith’s eyes went wide. “You’re my mommy?” she asked in a small, breathless voice. Lady nodded. She looked back at Dante and he crossed over, crouching down next to her. Lady gave Dante a shaky smile. She looked back to Lilith. “And Lilith,” Lady said taking another deep breath, “Dante is your father.”

Dante’s heart skipped a beat. He’d suspected it but here was the truth of it-his daughter. She really was his. Lilith looked at him with wide eyes. “You’re my daddy?” she asked.

Dante nodded. “’Fraid so, pumpkin,” he said giving her a smile.

Lilith’s eyes filled with tears. Lady reached out and gently touched Lilith’s arm. “Lilith, would you like to come and live with me?” she asked.

Dante’s brow furrowed and he felt his inner devil clench at Lady’s question. He realized he’d need to act quickly. “Would she like to come live with us,” he said softly. Lady looked at him in shock. He looked at her and gently placed his hand over hers. “We’ve got a lot to talk about,” he said, “but it should be us.”

Nero and Vergil had stood off to the side watching the revelation unfold and trying to remain unobtrusive. Lilith looked over at them with a look of confusion. Looking back to Dante and Lady, she asked, “Is Nero my brother?”

Nero sputtered and Dante laughed. Lady shook her head no. “No sweetie,” she said. “Nero is your cousin.”

Lilith’s brow furrowed. “What’s a cousin?” she asked.

Nero stepped over and knelt down next to Lady. “A cousin means that your daddy and my da,” he paused for a moment, “daddy are brothers,” he explained, still tripping over the reference to his own father.

Lilith leaned over and looked at Vergil. Vergil nodded. “I am your uncle and Nero’s father,” he said.

Lilith looked from Vergil to Dante. “You kinda look alike,” she said.

Dante chuckled. “Yeah old douchebag is my twin,” he said.

“Dante, language,” Lady hissed.

He shook his head. “Look this is going to take some getting used to,” he said. Lady rolled her eyes.

Nero looked back over his shoulder. The water coming through the crack in the wall was lessening. “Looks like the tide is changing,” he said. “We should start back. It’s a tight window to get through the sea cave.”

Lady looked at Dante. “It will be best if I take Lilith through,” she said. “The cave is a tight squeeze. Nero had some trouble in a few spots.”

Dante nodded. “Let’s get her out of here,” he said.

The group carefully made their way through the tight crack to the sea cave. Descending the worn steps, they started forward through the cave. Water was thigh deep and Lady did her best to keep Lilith out of the cold water. Adjusting the girl and taking a step forward, Lady’s boot hit a slick algae covered spot and she lost her footing. She kept her body rotated to protect Lilith but her injured shoulder slammed against a boulder next to her. Dante was at her side in an instant. He had his arm wrapped around her waist, steadying her as she tried to breathe through the pain. “I’ve got you,” he said, helping her upright. 

Lady looked at him and he nodded, silently agreeing with the request in her eyes. “Come here pumpkin,” he said, lifting Lilith into his arms. He held the small girl the rest of the way through the cave, following close on Lady’s heels to help steady her if she hit another bad spot. Lady continued to try to ignore the pain flaring in her right shoulder.

The group exited the cave into bright sunlight. A gust of wind came up and Dante felt Lilith shiver against him. Pulling open the side of his coat, he shifted her to his right side and pulled the coat over her, providing her some shelter from the wind. She snuggled into his warmth and he smiled at the contact. Dante looked around and smiled. “Been awhile since we’ve seen sunlight, hunh Verge?” he said.

Vergil gave a non-committal grunt and squinted. “I’m not sure it was missed,” he muttered.

Lilith gave a gasp as her eyes adjusted. “The beach!” she exclaimed. “Daddy, can we come back and play? I want to build a sandcastle.”

Dante frowned slightly. “Are you sure pumpkin? Can’t we just get you like a sandbox or something?”

Lady reached up with her uninjured side and smacked Dante on the back of the head. “We’ll see sweetie,” she said, smiling at Lilith. “I’m sure we can figure something out.” Lady gave Dante a look. He shrugged.

Lilith’s eyes lit up. “I want us all to come back, even Uncle Vergil,” she announced.

Dante laughed, the thought of Vergil spending the day at the beach was too much. “If you can convince Uncle Vergil to spend the day at the beach, I’ll come out to the beach too. Good luck with that one,” Dante said, his eyes crinkled in mirth.

Vergil gave Dante an evil smile and stared right at Dante as he spoke. “Lilith, I would love to,” he said.

Dante’s smile dropped and he glared at Vergil. Lilith clapped with glee. Nero watched the exchange shaking his head. He did not want to be anywhere near the beach when his family descended on it. He looked up the beach and grinned, seeing the familiar auburn hair of his love. “Kyrie,” he yelled, taking off at a run.

Kyrie had been looking out at the waves. Hearing her name, she turned and saw the group coming toward them, with Nero running to her. “Nico, they’re back,” she yelled, taking off toward Nero. Nico stuck her head out the window and nodded. Kyrie ran into Nero’s arms and he swung her around, kissing her deeply. 

“I missed you,” he breathed.

“Missed you too,” she said, smiling.

Nico slowly walked down to them, watching the rest of the group approach. When she spotted Dante she took off running toward him. Dante saw Nico running toward him and groaned. Nico pulled up short and stared at the small bundle tucked into Dante’s coat. Her eyes widened. “Y’all are back and Dante, you have a mini me!” she exclaimed.

“Nico, good to see you. Hey uh, bring it down just a notch,” he said, feeling Lilith recoil a bit at the boisterous woman.

Nero and Kyrie approached the group. “I’m so glad you’re back safely,” Kyrie said, smiling.

Lady smiled at her. “Thank you for waiting for us,” she said.

Kyrie looked at the small girl in Dante’s arms and smiled. “You must be Lilith,” she said, silently noting the familiar white hair.

Lilith nodded. “Who are you?” she asked.

Nero smiled. “This is my girlfriend, Kyrie,” he said, introducing her.

Lilith had a confused look. “Is she a cousin too?” she asked.

Kyrie blinked. “Cousin?” she asked, looking at Nero.

Dante smiled. “Kyrie, Nico, allow me to introduce you to Lilith, Lady’s and my daughter,” he said.

Nico looked at Lady and whistled. “Well I’ll be. You are just a chip off your daddy’s block aren’t you? I am going to have to craft something special for you little lady. I’m thinkin 9mm cause you’re small yet,” Nico said, her head already turning over plans for a very small gun.

“Hey Nico,” Lady said, snapping her fingers in front of the woman’s face to get her attention, “She’s five. Let’s give her a few years shall we?”

Dante raised an eyebrow. Lady shot him a look and he nodded. “Yeah, she’s five. She should at least be ten before we’re talking 9mm,” he said, feeling proud of his observation.

Lady rounded on him. “Seriously Dante?” she said.

“What?” he asked.

“She’s a kid,” Lady explained. “No firearms for a long while. She needs to be a kid.”

Vergil snorted. “Not you too,” Dante said, looking at his brother.

Nero shook his head. “Kyrie, I would like to introduce you to my dad, Vergil,” he said, not tripping over his words for once.

Kyrie faced Vergil and bowed. “It’s an honor to meet you,” she said.

Vergil nodded. “The pleasure is mine,” he said. “Nero has said many good things about you.”

Kyrie smiled. “Would you like to stay with us while you get settled?” she asked.

Vergil’s eyes widened slightly. “I, ah, hadn’t really thought about that,” he said.

“The option’s there if you’re interested,” Nero said, awkwardly.

“I will consider it,” Vergil said, stiffly.

Lady smiled watching Vergil and Nero’s interaction and trying to tune out Nico and Dante’s prattling about guns. She noticed Lilith give a large yawn and lay her head on Dante’s shoulder, her eyes still open, but heavy. She reached out and softly rubbed Lilith’s back.

Dante noticed the motion and looked down. “Is she out?” he asked.

“Almost,” Lady said softly. 

Dante smiled and looked back to Nico. “Hey Nico, can we get out of here? The little one is fading fast and we should get her home,” he said.

Nico nodded. “Yep, let’s get her home,” she said, turning toward the RV.

“Carefully!” Nero cautioned. “We get her home carefully, Nico.”

Nico glared at him. “Sheesh, you would think I don’t know how to drive with a little on board the way you’re carryin on,” she said, stomping toward the RV. Nero muttered something under his breath and followed. Dante and Lady exchanged a look and headed after them.

On the drive back, Dante and Lady had sat in silence, with Lilith between them, each deep in their thoughts. Lilith was still snuggled against Dante’s side, often awaking as the RV swerved or quickly stopped. Lady was glaring daggers at Nico’s back and Dante more than once had to put a calming hand on her shoulder as Lilith was again awoken by a quick maneuver. Kyrie and Nero talked quietly across from them with the occasional yell at Nico to watch it, while Vergil was sitting up front with Nico. She’d tried to light one cigarette but Vergil’s cold stare quickly disabused her of that notion.

After a couple harrowing hours, the RV pulled up in front of the familiar red neon sign. Nero opened the RV door and helped Lady down. Dante hopped out and examined the front of the building, a warm smile on his face. “Looks like it is still standing,” he said softly, trying not to wake Lilith again as she lay against his shoulder.

“Yep old man, still in one piece,” Nero said. “I’ll stop by later tomorrow if that’s cool?”

Dante nodded. “Sure thing, kid,” he said. Nero turned back to the RV. “You gonna be ok with Verge for the night?” Dante asked.

Nero smiled at Dante. “Yeah, no problem. We’ll talk tomorrow and come up with a plan for him,” he said.

The window in the front passenger seat rolled down and Vergil stuck his head out. “You know I can hear you both, right?”

Dante chuckled. “Have a good night Verge. We’ll see you guys tomorrow,” he said.

Kyrie stuck her head out the door of the van. “I’ll send Nero with some clothes for Lilith,” she said.

Lady smiled at her. “Thank you Kyrie, that’s very kind of you,” she said.

Kyrie gave a wave and returned to her seat as Nero waved and closed the RV door. The RV lurched off with a slight chirp of the tires. Dante ignored it, instead stepping up the familiar steps and laying a hand on the door of his precious business. He pushed open the door and held it for Lady. She smiled and stepped across the threshold and into the familiar room.

A pair of feet were up on the desk with a newspaper being read. As Lady stepped inside, the corner of the newspaper dropped, revealing Morrison’s smiling face. “Lady, you’re back,” he called out. His eyes widened as Dante stepped through behind her. Those eyes didn’t miss the small bundle curled in under the edge of Dante’s coat. “Well I’ll be,” he said softly, smiling at Dante.

“Dante!” a female voice yelled from the top of the stairs, as Trish started down. Dante put a finger over his lips but it was in vain. Lilith’s head raised up from under his coat and sleepy eyes looked around the room before exhaustion took over again and she laid her head back on Dante’s shoulder. He gently rubbed her back.

Trish met the little girl’s eyes for a moment and gasped. She came down the stairs and stood at the foot of them, staring at Lady.

“Morrison, upstairs been left alone?” Dante asked, keeping his voice soft.

Morrison nodded. “Yeah, I’ve just been using the office space down here,” he said.

Dante looked at Lady and gave her a tired smile. “I’m going to put her down,” he said. Walking past Trish he smiled. “Missed you and yes, we’ve got a lot to catch up on but she’s spent and I’m not far behind. Talk tomorrow?” he said.

Trish smiled and nodded. He walked past her to the staircase behind the desk. Reaching out he clapped Morrison on the shoulder. “Thanks for looking after the place,” he said. “See you tomorrow,” he said, walking up the stairs and disappearing from view.

Trish rounded on Lady. Lady held up her hand. “Yes I get it you want to talk, seems like that’s all anyone wants to do with me is talk. I’m exhausted. It’ll have to wait until tomorrow,” she said.

Morrison chuckled and stepped up, placing a hand on Trish’s shoulder. “C’mon, let’s let these guys get some rest. We’ll see you tomorrow,” he said, pushing Trish out the door. 

Lady followed them. “Goodnight Morrison and thank you,” she said. Trish started to say something but Morrison pushed her on, earning a yelp from her. Lady shook her head and closed the door to the shop behind them. She slid the deadbolt on the door closed. It was probably the first time the shop had ever been locked but she felt like she needed to protect her daughter upstairs.

Turning she crossed the room, her eyes falling on the desk. She stopped, thinking about what had transpired between her and Dante and fearful and unsure of what happens now. She traced the wood grain on the desk, feeling her anxiety growing and unsure of her own feelings. Realizing she couldn’t avoid talking to Dante for forever, she took a deep breath and started up the steps to the upstairs.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Home sweet home

**Eva’s Wish**

Chapter 11

Lady peeked into Dante’s room but it was empty. She stepped over to the room across from his and gently pushed open the door. Lilith was under the covers on the bed in the room, a too-large t-shirt around her and moonlight falling on her sleeping form. Dante stood by her bedside, his hand softly moving through her hair and a look of wonderment on his face.

Lady came to stop at the end of the bed and Dante looked up. His own nerves were on edge and his heart was thumping in his chest. He rubbed the back of his neck, unsure of what to say. The awkward silence stretched between them. Lady bit at her bottom lip. Looking at him with scared eyes, she felt like she needed to say something. “I’m sorry,” she said, feeling the words were inadequate.

Dante looked at her with wide eyes. “Sorry?” he said softly. He shook his head. “You’re not the one to apologize,” he said, looking back to Lilith and taking a deep breath. “Look Lady, I’m not good at these kinda things and this,” he paused,” this isn’t something I ever expected. I don’t know the right thing to say or what to do. So I think the only thing I can do is this. I’m going to be honest with you and lay my cards out,” he said, looking at Lady. “For over twenty years you and I have danced around this thing between us. It’s always been there from our first meeting until now. And now, now the stakes are higher than ever because it’s not just you and me anymore. So here’s the honest truth. I want you. I want an us. I’ve wanted you from the beginning and I’m willing to go all in, but I don’t know if you are,” he said.

Lady’s head spun. Of all the things she expected Dante to say, that wasn’t it. She’d expected him to be angry, upset and obstinate, not professing a desire for them to be a couple. His words were shaking her and she could feel the conviction with which he’d said them. She felt her doubts rising up and the conflicting feelings inside. She didn’t know what to say.

As the silence stretched on, Dante watched her face, trying to remain calm but the panic rose up as the silence between them stretched on. He’d confessed his feelings and she was mute, likely thinking of how to gently reject him he told himself. He thought that once again, his mixed blood worked against him, denying him a chance at a normal life and he hated the accident of his birth. “Fine,” he growled out, moving to leave the room.

She was shocked at the anger contained in that one word. She realized he thought she was rejecting him. As he passed, her hand shot out and caught his wrist. “Wait,” she said, “just wait.” Lady’s eyes met Dante’s and she bit at her bottom lip, realizing that she needed to make a choice. Was she going to cling to a vow she made when she was 16 years old or was she going to move on into a new world? She looked at Lilith sleeping peacefully and made her choice, but first something tugged at her. She looked at Dante.

“You’re right, we’ve been dancing around this for a long time,” she said. “Why,” she paused, “why did you push me away the night she…,” her voice trailed off. She felt tears prick her eyes at the memory of the pain.

Dante sighed and looked up at the ceiling for a moment, willing himself to let go and tell her, just tell her all of it. He recognized that this was the point between them where it would either lead to every dream of his coming true or a nightmare on earth to haunt him. He looked at Lady. “Do you know why I’ve borrowed so much money from you?” he asked.

Lady was confused at his question. She wasn’t sure what this had to do with their current situation. Dante gave her a weak smile. “You know if word was out that you were one of my creditors, instead of you being the most precious person in my life, demons would see harming you as helping me, not hurting me. Making sure for all these years that you were safe was all that mattered to me. I could dream about the what ifs but the reality was I knew you weren’t going to give up your vow and all I could do was stand by and try to keep you safe and fighting another day,” he said. “I also knew how you’d react if I ever told you this. I know you’re tough, I know you hunt demons, but Lady, if something happened to you because of me, because of who I am, I couldn’t live with that. But then you wouldn’t lower yourself to consider loving me with my mixed blood so it wasn’t a problem. Until the night she came into being,” he said, looking at Lilith.

Lady’s head was spinning, trying to process what he was saying. It dawned on her what he was trying to convey to her-Eva’s fate. He was so afraid of seeing what happened to his mother happen again. “You idiot,” Lady said softly. Dante’s eyes widened. “It doesn’t matter to me that you’re part demon. It hasn’t for a long time. I know who you are. You’re more than just your heritage,” she said. “I know what happened to your mother scares the hell out of you and you worry about it happening again. Damnit, Dante, I am not the same as Eva. I know what I’m getting myself into. I know what goes bump in the night and I know how to fight it. But I don’t want to fight it alone. I haven’t for a long time. I made a vow when I was 16 thinking everything was so black and white. It’s not, it’s gray. If I was going to eradicate every demon, that means that you, Trish, Nero and now my own daughter would be gone. I’m not about to do that, I can’t do that,” Lady said, taking a deep breath. “Lilith is here because for a brief moment in time, my wish came true. There was an us. Maybe it was selfish but I felt like as long as she was out there, I could tell myself that it had been real. It wasn’t a fantasy or a dream, for one moment in time there was an us,” she said, looking away.

Dante cupped her cheek and triggered. “Yeah but Lady, is this something you could love because this is a part of me,” he said, his voice harsh in his demon form.

Lady blinked for a moment, surprised that he’d done that. Her inner voice reminded her, he was scared. He hated this side of himself and he needed to know if she could be strong enough to accept him-all of him. She reached her hand up and gently cupped his cheek as his eyes widened. “Yes,” she said simply.

Dante released his hold on his demon blood as his lips crashed against hers. The kiss was desperate and she responded, knowing in this moment he needed to know that she did in fact want him. And she realized deep inside, she did want him, she always had. Pride had kept her from this moment for far too long. It took a demon’s manipulative plan for her to wake up to what was deep inside.

Dante bent down catching the back of her thighs and lifting her up. Her legs wrapped around his narrow waist as her left arm circled his neck and her hand dove into the silken strands of his hair. He carried them out of Lilith’s room, with Lady gently closing the door behind them. Dante crossed the hallway and gently nudged the door of his bedroom open with his foot. Stepping inside, he used his elbow to close the door and propped Lady against it, all the while their tongues battled each other.

Lady tried to hold back but the pressure on her injured shoulder was too much. She broke the kiss and hissed in pain, trying to pull her shoulder away from the hard door. Dante’s eyes widened, realizing he’d forgotten about her injury, “Shit, I’m sorry,” he said, lifting her away from the door and starting to release his grip.

Lady’s response was to tighten her legs around his waist. “Don’t you dare let go of me devil-boy,” she said, giving him a sultry smile. She leaned forward and whispered in his ear, “bed.”

He grinned. “Yes milady,” he said, retightening his grip and capturing her lips again. Walking over he turned and felt the bed against the backs of his knees. He sat down on the edge with Lady straddling his lap. Her hands slid down his chest and her hands fisted in the bottom of his shirt. Tugging upward she loosened the offending article from the waistband of his pants. Dante broke the kiss and reached down removing the shirt. She trailed kisses down his neck as her hands blazed a trail of fire over his chest and shoulders. Each touch caused the muscles under her touch to jump and twitch.

Dante broke their kiss to bring his hands up to the top button of her shirt. Slowly working his way down, he undid the buttons and gently slid it off her shoulders, carefully avoiding her wound. He stared at it a moment before his fingers ghosted over the bandage, a look of concern on his face.

Lady captured his face in her hands. He met her eyes and fierce determination looked back at him. “It’s going to take more than some demon scum to take me from you,” she said.

He marveled at how she could always read him. Even when he didn’t want to admit she was right, she always knew his mind. He couldn’t hide from her, somehow she always just knew. “Damned right,” he said, recapturing her lips and snaking his hands behind her, unclasping her bra.

His hands slid under the offending garment and grasped her breasts, his thumbs tracing over her nipples, feeling them harden at his touch. She moaned and rocked her hips against him. The action ignited the fire inside and he felt his body react. He slipped the bra down and caught a nipple in his mouth. Her hands fisted in his hair, tightening and releasing at the strong sensations he was creating. His hands slipped down her sides to her rear, gently caressing and squeezing the taught flesh through her shorts. As he licked and suckled at the nipple in his mouth, he grinned. He could feel her heat on his lap.

He released his hold on her breast and looked up at her. “You are so beautiful,” he said breathlessly.

Lady smiled as her hands slid down his chest and came to rest on his belt buckle. Giving it a gentle tug, she ordered, “This off.”

Dante grinned. “Yes milady,” he said. Gently helping her stand, he stood and removed the belt. He quirked an eyebrow when Lady frowned.

“All of it,” she said.

Dante reached out and tugged on the waistband of her shorts as he leaned in and whispered in her ear, “all of it.”

Lady thought she’d come undone at his words. She watched as he slid his boots off and complied with her request. She dropped her hand to the button on top of her shorts, following his lead.

Even though they’d previously been intimate, she felt herself blush at the sight of him. Lean, corded muscle stretched over his frame with barely a blemish. She felt self-conscious at the scars that riddled her body. Dante reached out and caught her waist, pulling her forward against his hard frame. She could feel his hard length against her lower abdomen. He kissed her deeply.

Breaking the kiss, he breathed, “beautiful,” in her ear as his hands trailed heat over her body. He kissed down her neck to her collarbone. Licking and nipping he dropped to his knees. Lady looked at him, trying to figure out his intentions. He gave her a wolfish smile. He gently used his hands to widen her stance, giving him access to her core. Her eyes widened as she felt him kiss her belly as his hands trailed up the inside of her thighs.

One hand gently stroked the junction between her thighs. Dante slipped a finger inside her folds and smiled at the moist heat there. Lady braced her arms against his shoulders as he gently pushed inside her, mimicking the action he was holding back on for now. Her breath hitched and he felt her walls grip him tightly. He slowly pulled back to her entrance before rocking back inside. Her hips wanted to buck against his hand, the friction good but lacking. He used his other hand to hold her steady. “Ah, ah,” he said, smiling at the teasing nature of his ministrations.

He watched her face as he continued to tease her body, feeling her body responding-becoming wetter and wetter. She looked down at him with a look that spoke volumes. He withdrew his finger, licking it. He loved the taste of her.

“I need,” she whispered.

Dante stood up and pulled her to him in another deep kiss. “Yes, milady,” he breathed. Lady put her hands on his shoulders and gave a gentle push, dropping him onto the bed. Dante smiled and scooted back, laying on his back.

His ice blue eyes met her mismatched one as she took in the sight of him ready for her. She remembered a conversation she’d once had with Trish about demons and some of the more intimate details of their culture. She’d been surprised to learn that demons had rituals and remembering something Trish told her, she came to a decision.

Dante watched her from the bed, calmly waiting for her to make her move. Lady crawled on the bed and positioned herself over Dante. His hands slid up the back of her thighs to her hips. Grasping his hard length, she directed him to her entrance before slowly sinking down, feeling him penetrate and slowly fill her.

Dante’s head arched back into the pillow. She was surrounding him so tightly, it was all he could do to hold himself back. Sinking to the hilt she held still, watching his face, seeing him trying to control himself. It was now or never. She rocked her hips slightly and dropped down to kiss his neck. He groaned at the sensation. She kissed down to his collarbone and took a deep breath. Sinking her teeth in, she broke the skin. Below her Dante hissed in pain and went rigid. She felt his blood fill her mouth and she swallowed. Pulling back she licked the wound, watching it slowly close over, but a slight mark remained. She leaned back and met Dante’s wide, shocked eyes. She bit her bottom lip

Dante couldn’t believe what Lady had just done. She rocked her hips again and he moved his hand to her hip, stilling her for a moment. He looked in her eyes. “Do you know what you just did?” he asked, softly.

Lady nodded. “You don’t need to reciprocate,” she said. “I want you-all of you.”

Dante nodded. “If I reciprocate,” he said softly, “it will hurt and it means there’s no going back for me. I won’t be able to.”

Lady looked at him and smiled. “I’m not afraid of some pain, I can take it. There wasn’t any going back for me as soon as Lilith arrived,” she said.

Dante felt his heart skip at her words. He rolled them over as gently as he could, the friction of the movement teasing them both. Moving Lady’s arms over her head, she swallowed the twinge of pain as her right arm came up. Grasping her wrists in his left hand, Dante held them firmly. He pulled her left leg up and held her thigh tightly. She could feel the bruises starting to form, but she ignored the pain, concentrating on Dante’s face. He pushed himself in deeply. “Are you sure about this?” he asked, barely restraining himself.

“I’m sure,” Lady said.

Dante partially released the hold on his demon blood. His teeth elongated slightly and he brought his head down and bit into the junction of her neck and collarbone, breaking the skin. As his teeth broke through, he thrust deeper again. Lady breathed through the pain. Dante swallowed the blood and licked at the wound on her. Pushing down his demon blood, he released his tight grip on her. Lady moved her arms down and gripped his shoulders. “You okay?” he asked. She nodded. Dante rolled them over again. “Better?” he asked. She smiled and rocked her hips against him, bracing her arms on his chest.

Pulling herself up, she slowly sank down, watching Dante’s face. The slow pace was teasing him and he gave her a look. “Woman you are going to be the death of me,” he said.

Lady gave him a sultry smile and kissed his neck. “Oh but what a way to go,” she purred in his ear. 

Dante’s hands came to her hips as he rocked against her, setting a faster pace. Lady moaned at the sensation, her eyes dropping to half-lids at the pleasure that was starting to build.

Dante was vaguely aware of a something at the edge of his senses but elected to ignore it for the time being. The bed springs creaked softly below them as their pace increased. Dante could feel the familiar pings at the base of his spine, letting him know he was approaching his climax. But he was determined that he wouldn’t tumble over that precipice without her. Sliding his hand from her hip, he reached down and slid his finger against her clit, stimulating it. He was rewarded with her breathing becoming even more erratic. He could tell she was almost there. “Come for me,” he said softly, watching as his movements had the intended effect. Her body became taut; her eyes squeezed shut as he felt her walls tighten even farther around him. She fell forward, her mouth clamped to his shoulder to stifle her cries, as her walls fluttered around him. He grasped her hips and buried himself as deeply as he could as his own climax hit-harder and more soul-shaking than he’d previously experienced. Her name falling from his lips as his own body shook at the release.

They stopped their movements, each one panting and trying to catch their breath, recovering from the intense sensations that had enveloped them. Dante slipped his length from her walls and pulled her down on her left side, against him.

“I’ve never, that has never been like,” Lady started to say.

“Amazing?” Dante offered. “Cause that was pretty amazing for me,” he said, smiling.

“Yeah, amazing is a good word,” she said, drawing her fingers over the faint mark on his collarbone. Dante shivered at the contact. “I guess I was a little concerned since our first time wasn’t entirely our idea, that maybe it wouldn’t be so good.”

Dante chuckled and kissed the top of her head. “Safe to say that’s not a problem,” he said.

Lady propped her chin on his chest and looked at him. “Why did it take us so long?”

Dante laughed. “No idea, I’ve been trying to get in your pants for over twenty years. I guess good things come to those who wait,” he said.

Lady playfully smacked him on the chest. “You’re incorrigible,” she said.

He caught her hand and kissed her knuckles. “Guilty as charged,” he said.

Lady felt a twinge of uncertainty. She knew that she’d taken a step tonight with him, not necessarily on a whim, but something that she hadn’t fully thought out. She knew that by marking him, she’d essentially completed a demon marriage and now she was nervous about what came next. “Dante is this going to work?” she asked. “Are we going to work?”

He could feel her insecurity coming off her in waves. He pushed her hair back behind her ear and cupped her cheek. “Yeah, this is going to work. Let’s be honest with each other here. We don’t work with anyone else. We’ve been meant for each other since we first met. We’ve just been too stubborn to admit it,” he said.

“You know I’m a difficult woman,” Lady said.

Dante smiled. “Not that difficult,” he said. “I think I’m up for the challenge.”

Lady laid her head on Dante’s chest, her hand drawing lazy circles on his chest as her eyes closed. He watched as her hand stilled. His head and heart were buzzing with emotion. For so long he’d been alone. He wouldn’t be going forward. For the first time in a long time he felt hopeful for his future.

Dante’s hand reached out and gently traced Lady’s cheek. Slowly he ghosted his hand down her neck and then along her arm. He marveled at her strength. Taking in her scars, he felt a sense of awe at just how strong she really was. Moving his hand to her waist, he rubbed over the faint lines on her hips.

A thought occurred to him. They hadn’t used any protection. He contemplated for a moment what that might be like-the two of them, Lilith and a little one. Somehow the thought scared him less than he thought it might. Dante felt Lady’s even breathing and moved his hand over her abdomen. Letting go of the old on his demon blood slightly he reached out with his senses to see if he could sense any faint aura there or not.

Lady’s voice broke him from his action. “Watcha doin?” she asked.

He quickly tamped his power back down and squeezed her. He contemplated lying but decided that was probably a bad course of action. “So we sorta, maybe skipped the whole protection thing there a few minutes ago and I was just curious if maybe we gave Lilith a sibling,” he said, bracing himself.

Lady’s eyes widened and she sat up. “Oh, oh no. Did we, did you feel something?” she asked.

“Whoa, calm down,” Dante said. “I’m not sensing anything.” Her reaction was concerning him. “Would that be a terrible thing if we did have another kid?”

Lady blinked, feeling her head spin. How would she feel at having another child? She looked at Dante and saw the look on his face. Part of her felt guilty. “I don’t know. I mean, there’s diapers and no sleep and…,” her voice trailed off as she felt long buried emotions rise up inside. Tears pricked the edges of her eyes.

Dante wrapped an arm around her, careful of her shoulder injury. “Hey, it’s ok. Are you alright? You know you can tell me anything,” he said.

Lady shook her head. “It’s something so stupid,” she said.

“Tell me,” he said.

“There’s a part of me that would love to have another baby if only so I could hold my baby,” she said, tears starting to roll down her cheeks.

Dante’s brows furrowed. “You didn’t hold Lilith before you gave her up?” he asked.

Lady shook her head. “If I’d held her, I never would have been able to let her go,” she said. “I made them take her away without ever touching her. What kind of mother does that?”

Dante felt his heart clench at the sorrow in her voice. He held her tightly. “You did what you thought would be best for her,” he said. “You are not a bad mother, if anything you did something so difficult because you were trying to do what was right for her.” He kissed the top of her head. “Look, if you decide you want another baby, I promise you, I will do everything in my power to make sure you get one.”

Lady smiled through her tears, rolling her eyes slightly. “Your sacrifice is admirable,” she said dryly. 

Dante chuckled. “Hey it’s a tough job but someone has to do it, right?” Lady shook her head. “Seriously though,” Dante said, his voice dropping. “I love you. If I’m being honest, I’ve been in love with you for a long time. If that’s something you want, it’s something we can try to make happen.”

Lady giggled. “You and diaper duty?” she asked.

Dante smiled. “Hey, I’ve taken on some pretty nasty demons, I’m sure I can handle a diaper or two no problem,” he said.

Lady smiled. “It’s something for us to think about. I’m not sure right now. Maybe for the time being we should be a little more careful,” she said.

Dante gave her a gentle squeeze. “Whatever you want,” he said.

“Mmmm, you know what I really want right now?” Lady asked.

Dante gave her a sly smile. “Do tell,” he purred.

“A shower,” Lady said.

“Oh man, that does sound good. You know what’s seriously lacking in the underworld right?” Dante asked. Lady quirked an eyebrow. “Plumbing,” he said. Lady rolled her eyes. “You know we should probably conserve some water and share,” Dante said, smiling.

“Oh you’d like that wouldn’t you?” Lady said, smiling.

“Yes ma’am,” Dante said.

Lady rose from the bed and opened the hallway door. It was quiet. She motioned for Dante to follow and he got up and followed her into the bathroom. They quickly showered, rubbing the grime and sweat off of each other. Sneaking back to Dante’s bedroom, he opened the chest of drawers and tossed Lady a pair of boxers and a black satin pajama top. He slipped the bottoms on and climbed into bed next to her. Lady smiled. “Satin, hunh?” she said.

Dante grinned. “Shhh, no one needs to know. Besides they’re really comfy,” he said, pulling her against his chest.

Suddenly small footsteps could be heard in the hallway and a timid knock was at the door. Dante and Lady exchanged a look and he rose from the bed as Lady pulled the covers up over her legs. Dante opened the door to meet Lilith’s red, puffy eyes and tear streaked face.

He crouched down, a look of concern washing over his face. “Pumpkin, you okay?” he asked. “What happened?”

Lilith launched herself into Dante’s chest, his arms reflexively closing around her. “There was a monster and I was alone,” she said, fresh sobs starting in. Dante lifted her and looked back to Lady, an alarmed look on his face.

Lady quickly stood and walked to them, putting an arm on Lilith’s back. “Were you dreaming sweetie?” she asked. Lilith nodded.

Dante released the breath he didn’t know he’d been holding. She’d only had a nightmare. He promised himself first thing in the morning he was installing wards all over the shop. He looked at his daughter’s tear-streaked face, his heart melting at seeing her so upset. “Tell you what pumpkin,” he said. “Do you want to sleep in here with mommy and daddy tonight?” he asked. Lilith’s face lit up and she nodded. Dante inwardly groaned, recognizing the problem with this. “Okay, but we’re not going to make a habit of this, understand?” he said. “Mommy and daddy are going to need mommy and daddy time.”

Lady rolled her eyes and gave him a smile. She got back in bed and Dante came around to the other side, setting Lilith down. She crawled over and rested against Lady and Lady wrapped her arms around Lilith. Dante got in and wrapped his arms around them both. He laid there for a long time, listening to their breathing even out and marveling at the fact that he was holding his family. He never expected to ever experience this but here it was.

He was going to doze off but remembered the presence he’d felt earlier. It was still there. Sighing he let go of Lady and Lilith and gently got out of bed, careful not to rouse them. Leaving the room, he gently closed the bedroom door behind him and quietly made his way down the hall. Descending the stairs, he entered the office and ignored the figure sitting in his office chair. He padded over to the couch in the corner and reached behind it, pulling up a blanket. Walking back toward the door to the upstairs he threw the blanket at the person in his chair.

“You get two weeks’ vacation. The jobs are shit sometimes but you get to kill demons so there’s that. We often work with the kid so you’ll see him pretty often. Tomorrow we’ll stop by and talk with Alice. She manages the apartment complex down the street. She owes me a favor so if she’s got a vacancy we can get you set up close by, just not this damned close,” Dante said, his hand on the knob to the door leading upstairs.

Vergil quirked an eyebrow at him. “Did she tell you about my pledge?” he asked.

Dante shot Vergil a look. “You made a pledge. Fucking really Vergil? Oh of course you did,” Dante said, shaking his head and looking at the ceiling. “No she hadn’t told me yet,” Dante said sighing. “Alice’s complex is like a half block away,” Dante said. He looked at his brother again. “Seriously Verge, you had to do a damned pledge.” Dante muttered, as he opened the door and started up the stairs.

Vergil sat in the chair with a small smile.

Dante stomped up the stairs as loudly as he thought he could get away with without waking Lady and Lilith. He remembered his father drilling it into their heads as children about a knight’s pledge and how it was a serious matter of honor. _‘Damnit Vergil,’_ Dante thought as he climbed back in bed. _‘You’re not living here.’_ Dante drifted off holding his family and thinking about how to get out of having his brother live with them.


	12. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everything comes full circle

**Eva’s Wish**

Epilogue

Dante drove the car down the street, passing the brightly colored buildings. He’d been pleasantly surprised when he and Lady went to purchase it. He’d figured with the kid she was going to suggest an SUV or perish the thought, a minivan. At the dealership, she’d started toward a minivan and he felt his heart stop. Turns out she was walking past it to this beauty. Yeah it might have 4-doors but the V8 Hemi engine under the hood was anything but pedestrian. She’d given him a sly smile when he walked up. “We still need something quick for demon hunting. Besides, have you seen the trunk on this thing? Big enough for weapons and the kid stuff,” she’d said. He’d decided right then and there he loved her more than anything. The only argument was what color. He’d acquiesced and instead of the cherry red they walked away with a gunmetal gray one. He looked around as he drove. “Man you were not kidding, this place is tiny. Would’ve never looked for you in someplace like this,” he said.

Lady smiled, looking out the passenger window. “Well you weren’t looking now were you? Yeah, this place is small but everyone here was surprisingly kind. You’ll want to pull in over there,” she said pointing to a building ahead on their right.

Dante smoothly parked the car and got out, stretching his muscles. He opened the rear door and gently shook Lilith’s leg. “C’mon pumpkin, time to wake up, we’re here.”

Lilith blinked and looked at him with sleepy eyes. “We’re here?” she asked.

“Yes, sweetie,” Lady said. “Remember to grab her jacket.”

Dante nodded and unbuckled the car seat. Grabbing her black jean jacket, he pulled her out of the car seat and set Lilith down. He helped her put the jacket on over her long sleeved red t-shirt adorned with tiny pink hearts and closed the door.

Lilith looked around. “Mommy, why are we here?” she asked.

Lady gave her a warm smile as she and Dante joined her on the sidewalk. “Daddy wanted to see the town where you were born,” she said.

Lilith started to become more alert. “I was born here?” she asked.

Lady nodded. Dante smiled at her. “Lead the way,” he said.

Lady smiled and pointed to the building they were parked next to. “We should start here,” she said. Dante quirked an eyebrow. Lady walked to the door and opened it. Dante reached around and grabbed the handle, letting her walk in first.

Lady stepped inside the familiar space. Her eyes took a quick moment to adjust to the dim light. The worn oak bar was still polished to a bright shine. The stools were all empty. The only occupant had their back to them. “We’re not open yet,” he rasped.

Lady broke out in a grin. “Looks like my timing’s impressive as always,” she said.

The man behind the bar stood up straight and turned. “Frannie?” he asked.

“Hiya Blue,” Lady said.

Blue broke out in a huge grin. Rushing from behind the bar he caught Lady in a giant bear hug. “Missed you somethin fierce,” he said. “Let me look at you,” he said, holding her at arm’s length. “You look good, dear. Need a job?”

Lady laughed. “I’m pretty busy these days,” she said, nodding toward the door. Dante and Lilith stood watching the old friends reconnect.

Blue’s eyes fell on Lilith. He looked back to Lady. “Is that the little one?” he asked.

Lady nodded. “Lilith come here and meet my friend Blue,” she said, holding out her hand.

Lilith looked at Dante for a moment. He let go of her hand and gave her a gentle push toward Lady. “It’s okay, you don’t need to be shy,” he said.

Lilith walked over and took Lady’s hand and looked up at Blue. “Hello,” she said.

Blue crouched down. “Well hello little lady, I’m Blue,” he said, extending a hand. Lilith gave him a shy smile and shook his hand. “Would you like a fizzy cherry flavored drink?” he asked. Lilith broke into a big smile. She looked up at Lady who nodded.

Lilith looked back at Blue. “Yes, please,” she said.

Blue stood and looked at Dante. Dante met his gaze and stepped forward, extending a hand. “I’m Dante,” he said.

Blue took his hand and gave a firm shake-almost too firm. “C’mon over and I’ll pour you somethin,” Blue said.

Dante grinned. “I’m not one to turn down an offer like that,” he said.

Blue went back behind the bar. Lady sat down on one of the stools. Dante lifted Lilith up onto the stool next to her and he sat with Lilith between them. Blue pulled some bottles down and starting mixing things up. “So Frannie, how you been?” he asked.

“Good,” Lady said. “I’ve returned to my previous line of work. Been real busy, especially now that Lilith is back with Dante and I.”

Blue shot Dante a look. Finishing mixing the beverage, Blue pushed the red, bubbly concoction in front of Lilith. Her face lit up. “Thank you,” she said.

“You’re welcome,” Blue said, smiling at her. Turning his attention to Dante, Blue asked what he wanted.

“Shot of Jack Daniels, please,” Dante said.

Blue nodded and grabbed the bottle. “So Dante is it, how long have you known Frannie here?” Blue asked as he poured the drink.

Dante gave a slow smile. “I’ve known her for over 20 years, since she was 16,” he said. “Waited a long time to catch her eye. I owe you a debt for keeping her safe for me.”

Lady raised an eyebrow. “Keep me safe?” she asked.

“Even you’ll admit you weren’t tip top while you were here. And I owe a debt to anyone who kept you and her,” Dante said, rubbing Lilith’s back, ”safe while we were apart.”

Blue nodded. “Frannie, he’s right. You didn’t talk much about it while you were here, but I could tell from the first time we met you had a lot going on in that head of yours. You know that I never asked and it wasn’t any of my business, but you could tell you were wrestling with something big. When you told me about the little one, it all made sense,” he said.

Lady sighed. “Yeah, I could’ve handled that better,” she said.

Blue pushed the drink in front of Dante and he picked it up and saluted Blue with it. “We both could’ve handled things better,” he said. “It doesn’t matter now, we figured it out and got the most important thing back where she belongs,” he said, reaching over and tickling Lilith’s chin.

Lilith giggled. “You’re silly, daddy,” she said.

Blue nodded at Dante, a satisfied look on his face. “Frannie, what can I pour you?” he asked.

“Just water for me,” she said. “Someone should be good for transporting our precious cargo.”

Dante raised an eyebrow. Lady gave him a smile and batted her eyelashes at him. He shrugged.

“Mommy, why does Mr. Blue call you Frannie?” Lilith asked.

Lady shifted in her seat. “So Francesca isn’t your given name?” Blue asked.

“No,” she admitted. “It’s Lady. I was trying hard to make sure that Dante didn’t find me while we were apart.”

Blue shook his head. “Always felt like somethin was off. You never told him about the little one, did you?”

Lady lowered her eyes. “You must think less of me,” she said.

Before Blue could say anything, Dante reached over and gave Lady’s shoulder a gentle squeeze. “Past is past,” he said. “Can’t say what would’ve been. All we can do is go forward. Doesn’t change anything. It worked out,” he said, smiling at Lady.

Blue smiled and nodded, appreciating the clear love that Dante held for his friend. “He’s right you know,” Blue said. “Can’t change it, best to move forward. Should I call you Lady?” he asked.

Lady smiled. “You can call me whatever you’d like, Blue,” she said. “It’s just good to see you.”

Blue grinned. “Can I grab you another?” he asked, noticing his drink was gone.

Dante grinned. “I would love it,” he said. Blue grabbed him another drink and proceeded to finish his opening duties while talking with the two of them. He was surprised to find out they were both demon hunters, but if he thought about it, it made sense why Frannie, er Lady, was so good at handling the ruffians that occasionally strode into the bar.

Time flew as they chatted. The bar opened and a few patrons wandered in. Lady greeted some of the familiar faces warmly. Dante sat back and watched the way the hard folks of this town softened in her presence. He felt a swelling of gratitude that the folks of this town looked out for her during a time when he couldn’t.

After a while Lady checked her watch. With Lilith in their lives, she’d taken to wearing one-trying to be a somewhat responsible parent. “I’ve got to go,” she said. Dante nodded. They’d discussed beforehand that there was someone in town she wanted to visit on her own first. Dante had been curious and had to stifle his immediate response to protest. He’d had to remind himself that she had an independent streak and he needed to respect that.

“No problem. I saw the pier at the end of the street. Maybe I’ll take Lilith down there and check it out,” Dante said.

“Sounds good,” Lady said. “You have fun with daddy,” she said, kissing Lilith’s temple. “I shouldn’t be too long.” Lilith smiled at her.

Lady gave Blue a hug goodbye and left the bar, taking a moment for her eyes to adjust to the bright sunshine outside. Walking up the familiar street she stopped in front of a green door. Opening the door she stepped into the familiar building.

The older woman behind the desk broke into a big grin. “Frannie,” she greeted.

“Hello Shirley,” Lady said, smiling back.

“I was so surprised when you called,” Shirley said. “It’s great to see you. Let me get him for you.” Shirley turned over her shoulder and yelled, ”Frank!”

A door down the hall opened. “Yes dear?” he asked, poking his head out.

“Frannie’s here,” Shirley said.

Lady chuckled. Not much had changed with these two.

Dr. Baum shuffled up to the front. “Frannie,” he said, giving her a hug. “It’s good to see you.”

“You too,” Lady said.

“I was surprised when Shirley said you’d called. Let’s step in my office,” he said.

Lady followed Dr. Baum down the hall to his office. He motioned for her to take a seat in the cushioned chair while he sat in his office chair. “So how can I help?” he asked.

Lady shifted in the chair, a little nervous. “You’d think this would be easier,” she said.

Dr. Baum gave her a warm smile and patted her knee. “Don’t worry,” he said, ”I’m here to help and as you know anything you tell me stays here.”

Lady gave him a smile. Taking a deep breath she looked at him. “Need you to confirm a hunch I’ve got,” she said.

Dr. Baum stood and smiled. “This way,” he said, leaving the office. Lady rose and followed him to an exam room.

Forty minutes later, she stepped out in the lobby, Dr. Baum following her. Shirley gave her a warm smile. “It’s been so good to see you dear,” she said.

“You too,” Lady said. “Thank you both for everything.”

Shirley came around the desk and gave her a hug. “We’re always here,” she said. Dr. Baum opened the door for Lady and she stepped outside. They followed her.

“Mommy!” she heard and turned to see Lilith running toward her. Dante was walking behind Lilith, a slight smile on his face. Lilith careened into Lady’s thigh, wrapping her arms around it. “I got to see a man catch a fish on the pier but then this bird came and stole it,” Lilith exclaimed.

Lady smiled at Lilith. “Really?” she asked. Lilith nodded enthusiastically.

“Lilith?” Dr. Baum asked.

The little girl turned and looked at him as Dante walked up to them. “Do I know you?” she asked.

Dr. Baum gave her a smile. “Not that you would remember,” he said. “I helped your mama while she was giving birth to you.”

Dante put an arm around Lady. “I’m impressed you remembered her name,” Lady said.

“I always remember the names of the special ones,” Dr. Baum said.

“Special ones?” Lilith asked.

Dr. Baum nodded. “Special children like you with your pretty hair,” he said. “I’d only seen it one time before, a little boy,” he said. “Must’ve been what, twenty-four or twenty five-years ago now, I think. Nero was his name.”

Dante’s eyes widened. Lilith cocked her head to the side. “Do you mean my cousin Nero?” she asked.

Dr. Baum blinked. “Your cousin?” he asked.

Dante nodded. “My brother’s son,” he said. “He’s about twenty-four, same silver hair. Family trait, I suppose.”

Dr. Baum looked at Dante. “You’re Lilith’s father then?”

Lady nodded. “Yes, Dr. Baum, this is Dante and he’s Lilith’s father.”

Dante extended his hand and shook Dr. Baum’s hand. “It’s nice to meet you,” he said. “I’m grateful you took good care of my girls.”

“It was my pleasure,” Dr. Baum said.

Lady shook her head. “I can’t believe it, Nero was born here too. What are the odds? He has so many questions. Dr. Baum, would it be okay for us to tell him about you? His father hasn’t been able to tell him much. I don’t believe he was aware that Nero’s mother was pregnant,” she said.

Dante snorted. “Verge has been able to tell him almost nothing. I think the poor kid ended up with more questions than answers after that talk,” he said.

Dr. Baum considered for a moment and shared a look with Shirley. She nodded. “It’s the right thing to do Frank,” she said.

Dr. Baum sighed. “I’d be willing to speak with him, but I’m not sure what I would have to tell him will bring him much peace,” he said.

Lady frowned. “Is it that bad?” she asked.

Dr. Baum had a faraway look in his eyes. “Nero’s mother came from a high class family in Fortuna. They brought her here and set her up in a house on the outskirts of town. I was in training at the time with the town’s physician. We’d go out to check on her, monitor her progress with the pregnancy. She was always alone and I got the impression she was very, very sad. Toward the latter part of her pregnancy, they hired a caretaker for her,” he said, looking at Shirley. “I’m glad they did.”

Shirley smiled back and looked at Dante and Lady. “I’d accepted the position but it came with very strict instructions that I wasn’t to speak of what I saw or what I heard. I could tell she was heartbroken, but she never spoke of the child’s father and didn’t seem to have much joy at the impending arrival. She often cried herself to sleep. When she went into labor, I called Dr. Sellers and he came with Frank. Nero’s birth,” she said, pausing, “was a hard one.”

Lady felt her emotions swirling. She could only imagine what Nero’s mother had gone through. Shirley continued. “She was very weak after the birth. She’d given us his name and held him for a bit. She then told me she was tired and asked me to take him. I took Nero and laid him down, when I turned back,” Shirley’s eyes teared up and Dr. Baum put an arm around her. “She was gone.”

Lady felt tears prickling at her eyes. Lilith looked confused. “She was gone like she left?” she asked.

Dante gave her a soft smile. “Lilith, it’s like we talked about with the parents of the kids who stay with Nero and Kyrie. She passed on,” he said, rubbing her back.

“Oh,” Lilith said, her eyes watering. “That’s so sad, daddy.”

Shirley gave her a soft smile. “It was sad,” she said. “We laid her to rest in a meadow above the town. Her family didn’t provide me a way to contact them. I was prepared to stay here and care for young Nero. By that time, Frank and I were courting.”

Dr. Baum nodded. “He was a good baby. He was with us for almost a month before his grandfather arrived. He insisted on taking the boy. We had no right to refuse him, as uncomfortable as we were. He took Nero and we never saw him again,” he said, sadness echoing in his words.

“Well, we’d love to let him know about you folks,” Dante said. “He’s had a lot of questions and my brother isn’t exactly a well of answers.”

“Feel free to give him our contact information,” Dr. Baum said.

Lady smiled. “You’ll be pleased to know he’s turned out to be one great kid. He and his girlfriend are caring for orphans from Fortuna after the tragedy there. He does a lot to help folks,” she said.

“Sounds like an admirable young man,” Dr. Baum said. “We’d love to reconnect with him.”

Lady and Dante made their farewells. Lady showed her family where she used to live and the cove when she’s spent so much time. They let Lilith play by the shore for a bit before moving back to the meadow before the beach. Spreading a blanket, they enjoyed the warm sunshine. Dante had moved over and was leaning against a tree, appearing to doze but his eyes followed Lilith’s movements like a hawk. Next to him, Lady sat with his arm around her and her head resting on his chest. A small stream wound through the meadow toward the beach. Lilith was running around and occasionally staring at things in the stream.

Lady watched her daughter and lazily ran her hand over Dante’s chest. “I should thank you, you know,” she said.

“Why’s that?” Dante asked.

“You keep your promises,” she said.

Dante smiled. “Of course I do. I am awesome after all. So which promise are you referring to?” he asked.

Lady smiled. “Well you did promise me once that if I ever wanted another baby you’d do everything in your power to give me one,” she said.

Dante felt his heart skip a beat and his eyes widened. “Are you serious?” he asked.

Lady nodded, biting her bottom lip. “I had a suspicion and Dr. Baum confirmed it,” she said.

“Oh wow,” Dante said.

“You okay with this?” she asked, starting to worry.

Dante smiled and tightened his arm around her. “More than okay,” he said.

Lady raised an eyebrow. “You know this means things like diapers and no sleep, right?”

Dante chuckled. “We kill demons for a living,” he said. “We can handle a baby.”

Lady smiled at him and gave him a kiss. “Yeah, I suppose we should be able to handle this.”

Dante grinned at her, excited and a little scared of what was to come. He looked at Lilith and had a thought. “Hey pumpkin, come here,” he called out.

Lilith ran over. “Yes daddy?”

“Pick that plant by your foot, the globe shaped one and come here,” Dante said.

Lilith picked the requested plant and came over to Dante’s side. He brought his arm up and pulled her in his lap. “In a moment I want you to close your eyes, make a wish and then blow on the plant like you’re blowing on a candle,” he instructed. “You got that?” Lilith nodded. “Go,” he said.

Lilith closed her eyes, waited a moment and blew. “Open your eyes, pumpkin,” Dante said. Lilith opened her eyes and watched the dandelion seeds float away on the breeze.

Lady smiled. “What did you wish for?” she asked.

Lilith fidgeted. “You’ll think it’s dumb,” she said.

Lady shook her head. “Never, sweetness,” she said. “What was your wish?”

“I wished for a little brother or sister to play with,” Lilith said.

Dante laughed and Lady smiled. “Well sweetie, how would you feel if I told you you’ll get your wish in about oh, seven months or so?” Lady said.

Lilith’s eyes widened and she looked at Lady with a hopeful look. “Really?” she asked.

Dante nodded. “Yup, your mom is having a baby,” he said. Lilith launched herself off Dante’s lap, whooping and running around in excitement.

Dante pulled Lady in close and watched their daughter. Kissing the top of Lady’s head, he looked up at the clouds above and smiled. “Looks like you got your wish mom,” he said softly.

The End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you've enjoyed! I've got a short one-shot I wrote that takes place after this. I'll post it this weekend. :)

**Author's Note:**

> I'm still at work on a couple new things but this gives you guys something to read while I work on new stuff.


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